Star Crossed Lovers
by DarkSwordMage
Summary: Continuation of the Anime: Natsuru has learned that Sakura is a moderator pulling the strings of Kampfers, and will do anything to enforce the Proxy War. In light of this he has chosen to pursue a new love, the Student Council President Shizuku Sango...
1. Chapter 1

(Well, I decided to reupload Chapter 1 with some minor corrections. I realized I used the Japanese way of saying someone's name (last name first) with Natsuru and Sakura only to use the western style with Mikoto, Akane and Shizuku. This was unintentional on my part, and I've added this with Chapter 5, so it's all one big update. I had an issue getting the files to uplaod to fanfiction, but I didn't sleep last night so I had nothing to do but type, so that's what I did :)

_ What did I do to deserve this?_

My name is Seno Natsuru, and I'm a blue Kampfer whose power is a zauber based in fire. I'm a 2nd hear high school student at Seitetsu Gakuin Private School. I was just a normal boy, until one day I woke up with a blue bracelet on my wrist and a talking stuffed doll named Disemboweled Tiger telling me that I'd become a Kampfer, a person born to fight with Kampfers with bracelets that are different colors. After that I made a lot of friends. I made friends with Mishima Akane, and met a girl named Sango Shizuku who at first was my enemy. Even my childhood friend Kondo Mikoto became swept up in becoming a Kampfer.

Then there's Sakura Kaede, she's the girl that I was in love with, but after becoming a Kampfer I learned that Sakura is one of the masterminds behind the entire conflict, and she even commands 4 white Kampfers that are her personal servants and enforcers.

"Natsuru! Kiss me!" Mikoto demands, rubbing her body against the front of me.

"Natsuru…" Shizuku erotically whispers, looking at me with a face that screams for attention as she presses her breasts against my left arm.

"Kiss me first!" Akane shouts, rubbing at my other arm.

I look around at the three of them; they're all out of their Kampfer forms and looking up at me with expectation in their eyes.

"Uh, the white Kampfers are getting away!" I try to change the subject.

"We care more about kisses then about them." Shizuku says simply.

"I need to go!" I quickly bolt, taking my only alley for escape, stepping backward away from the trio. "I'm going home!"

I run for the door, the three of them hot on my heels.

"Natsuru! Wait!" They all call in unison.

* * *

Nearly an hour later I'm home, breathless and exhausted, but I'm alone.

_Losing them took forever…_

It's late, and fortunately I live alone, so I don't have my parents worrying about me coming home at such a late hour.

Grabbing the mail from the day, I walk up the steps toward my front door. Using my key I open the door and go inside, making sure to throw the dead bolt behind me.

_Not like it really matters if I lose them on the way home, they ALL know where I live…_

Sighing heavily I drop my school bag near the door and start up the steps, heading for my door. The house is refreshingly quiet as I open my door and turn on my light, seeing the Disemboweled Tiger doll sitting on my desk.

"Ah, Natsuru-san. You must've been busy with those three if you're just now getting home."

"Shut up you!" I growl, reaching out and grabbing the doll, I fling into my trash can and sink it.

With an exhausted sigh I fall on my bed, flopping on it with my arms out, my legs splayed.

"Man, today was so tiring…"

Closing my eyes, I'm asleep in a second.

* * *

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

"Uhh…." I moan tiredly.

Rolling over, I reach out with my hand, feeling for the alarm clock on my desk, flapping my hand around the desk, searching for the button that will stop the incessant beeping.

After 20 seconds I give up, opening my eyes I look to find the clock and hit the button, turning off the alarm. I yawn tiredly, stretching my arms and legs.

"Wake up Natsuru!" Disemboweled Tiger's voice enters my ears.

I glare in the direction of the voice, seeing the plushie now sitting on my desk near the clock.

"Shut up…" I mutter dryly.

Pushing thoughts about the plushie and how it managed to get out of my trash can aside, I sit up and yawn.

_I feel a lot better, a good night's sleep and a day off to recover from all that is exactly what I needed…_

Fortunately, today is Sunday, which means no school. Throwing off my covers I get out of bed, stretching again I yawn, shaking off the sleep.

"I should shower, but I really want to eat something…"

Leaving my room I walk downstairs, scooping up my bag I drop it on the dining room table on my way into the kitchen.

My stomach growls, a testament to my hunger. Living alone I just drop some slices of bread into the toaster.

_Buttered toast isn't that bad. What I really need to do is sort my life out. After what happened last night…_

My life, both as a human and as a Kampfer has taken a major change in the last 48 hours. I confirmed once and for that Sakura Kaede is in fact somehow manipulating the Kampfer conflict between red and blue, and even has command of her own group of white Kampfers. She desires my female form, and absolutely despises my male one. Akane, Mikoto and Shizuku all are in love with me, and Sakura attempted to control my mind and body for her own benefit…

The toast pops out of the toaster, and I quickly get some butter from the fridge, buttering the toast before I return the butter to the fridge, setting the 4 slices of toast down on a plate on the table. Taking a seat at the table, I grab a slice of toast and start eating, absent mindedly chewing at the bread while I try to sort out my thoughts.

_Sakura is a moderator, or at least someone who can choose and control Kampfers. She transformed me against my will, and tried to turn me against Shizuku, Akane and Mikoto. She was going to make me kill them, and why? Because we refused to fight in a proxy war that none of us ever asked to be a part of? _

I can't help but scowl at the thought with the piece of toast hanging from my mouth, that the girl I once thought was as pure and clean as an angel could possibly do something like that.

_But when push came to shove, she called me a disgusting man and slapped me, and if not for Shizuku and the others, I doubt I'd still be alive. I have to put Sakura behind me, Shizuku, Akane and Mikoto all have their good points, but could I have a serious relationship with any of them? If I'm dating one of them we'll likely be together a lot, which will make it that much harder for Sakura to try and trick me again._

_ But which of them should I go out with? All three of them want to be my girlfriend, that's painfully obvious after last night. But I can't say that any of them are _perfect_ for me, but they all want to be my girlfriend…_

_ Well first there's Mishima Akane, when she isn't a Kampfer she isn't so bad. Though she always seems to have her mind in the gutter at the most inappropriate times. Plus when she changes into a Kampfer she's violent, vulgar, and has a split second temper. The one thing she has over the others is that she and I are both blue Kampfers, so if we're somehow made to fight in the conflict and the blue side wins, we won't be separated…_

_ Then there's Sango Shizuku. She was the first red Kampfer I fought who kidnapped Sakura to get to me and made me attend school as a girl. Even after the truce we agreed to she always seemed to be teasing me and making fun of me. Then she asked me out and we went out on that date…which wasn't that bad thinking about it. Plus she holds onto that cell phone strap I bought for her and takes good care of it. She doesn't flaunt her looks, and of the three she could probably best control her fan club when they learn that we're dating._

_ Then there's Kondo Mikoto. I've known her since we were 5 and have lived next to one another for over a decade. Every time I see her I can't help but think of the little girl next door I used to play with. I'm an only kid, so it was like having a sister, and then she went away with her folks and grew up, and even now whenever I see her I can't help but think of her as a little sister. Plus she loves curry way too much, I spilled some at Sakura's apartment and she threw me into a wall…_

_ So, which one could I pursue a relationship with? They all have their own good points and bad points. Mikoto is more like a sister to me than anything and Akane can be really hard to get along with when she changes into her Kampfer form, especially if the other 2 continue to be around me after I start dating her, which is bound to happen, so that really leaves Mikoto and Shizuku._

_ Mikoto is nice, but I'm sure I'll get sick of curry after 2 weeks, and then there's the fact that whenever I see her I think of the little girl that I used to play with when we were kids. As much as I hate to admit it, Shizuku is really the only choice that could possibly work. Since we're not fighting this proxy war anymore, then it doesn't matter if we're pitted against one another in red versus blue…_

Going to grab another piece of toast, my hand meets the plate, and I look down to see the plate empty.

_Damn, so lost in thought I ate all four pieces of toast…_

I get up, opening my bag, getting out my homework from Saturday. Opening my books, I do my homework as quickly as I can, wanting to get it out of the way before I do anything about my relationship issues. I do my homework quickly, killing a half an hour before I stand, putting my books back in my bag and dropping my bag near the door. I walk up the steps, going into the bathroom I get undressed, throwing my slept in clothes into the hamper before I step into the shower. Turning the water on I take a hot shower, getting ready for the day…

Halfway through the shower…

"NATSURU!" Mikoto's happy voice shouts into the bathroom at the same time the bathroom door comes open.

"Mikoto?" I ask curiously.

I pull the edge of the shower curtain back a hair, and peeking out I see Mikoto in a pair of shorts and a white sleeveless blouse standing in the open doorway.

_What is she doing here? I locked the doors and windows!_

"Mikoto! What're you doing here?" I demand from her as I quickly close the curtain.

"Lock-picking is an essential skill for an archaeologist." She says matter of factly. "Since you're in the shower I'll wash your back for you!"

Peeking out again I see her pull off her shirt throwing it aside, revealing her bra and her stomach. Her hands undo the clasp of her shorts, pushing them down to her ankles.

"Mikoto you don't have to do that!" I tell her.

"It's okay Natsuru. I don't mind."

"But I do!" I tell her. "I'm naked in here!"

"So?"

"'So' I don't want that kind of relationship with you!" I tell her. "I don't need you to wash my back and I don't want you to. You're my friend Mikoto. I don't want to lose that!"

For a moment the only sound is the shower running, the warm water splashing against my body. Slowly, hesitantly I pull the curtain back and peek, and I see her standing in the same spot near the door, a shocked expression on her face.

"Natsuru…you mean that?"

I pull head back, nodding to myself.

"Yes Mikoto, I do." I tell her with absolute seriousness in my voice.

"You really just see me as a friend?" She asks, and I nod to myself again.

"Yes Mikoto, I only see you as a friend, and nothing else. I'm sorry if that hurts you."

I peek out again, and I see her looking down at the floor.

"Mikoto?" I hesitantly ask.

"I understand Natsuru..." She says in acceptance.

She picks up her clothes, getting dressed in resignation.

"If you want to wait, I'll be out of the shower in a bit."

"No…that's okay, I'll go home, see you at school tomorrow."

Now dressed she leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"Mikoto!" I call out, but it's too little too late, she's already gone.

The shower still spraying down on me, I sigh heavily.

_Well, she probably hates your guts now. I wonder how Akane is going to react when you tell her that you don't want anything more than friendship with her. She'll probably transform into a Kampfer on the spot and start shooting…_

Shaking my head I shut off the shower and get out, toweling myself off and blow drying my hair before I carefully peek out of the bathroom and check the hall. I move from the bathroom to my room, carefully peeking into my bedroom to make sure Mikoto is really gone before I walk inside.

I get dressed, putting on a pair of jeans and a light blue shirt before I comb my hair. Once I look presentable I leaving my room and head downstairs. Picking up the phone I start dialing.

_I may as well call Shizuku and tell her or at least ask to talk to her. I don't know how she's going to react to it, but I think it'll be better to have her be my girlfriend when I tell Akane, that way she can hopefully protect me if it hits the fan…_

The phone rings 3 times, and then the ringing stops.

"Sango residence, Shizuku speaking." Shizuku answers in her normal calm lilt.

"Uh, it's Seno Natsuru." I tell her.

"Natsuru? What's up? I'm happy that you called me…"

"Are you free? There's something I'd like to talk to you about face to face."

There's a momentary pause from her.

"Sure, would you like me to come over?"

"Uh, no, I'll come over there." I quickly decide. "If that's okay?"

"Sure! Are you leaving right away?"

"Yeah, I'll be over there in a bit."

"All right, see you when you get here." She says before hanging up the phone.

Setting the phone back on the cradle, I can't help but wonder how Shizuku is going to react to what I have to say…

* * *

15 minutes later I'm at the door to Shizuku Sango's house. Reaching out I ring the doorbell. For a moment there's silence, and then the door opens, and Shizuku stands there wearing a purple blouse and a mini skirt with high black stockings. Her hair is down, and she smiles at seeing me.

"Would you like to come in?" She asks, stepping aside and motioning for me to come in.

"Thank you." I speak before I walk into her house, and Shizuku closes the door behind me.

Looking around after slipping off my shoes I see I'm in a hallway with sky blue walls, steps leading up going to the second floor on my left. An archway to the right leads to what looks like a living room, a second archway farther down the hall on the right.

"Would you like something to drink, or maybe some snacks?" She asks, and I shake my head no.

She leads me into the living room of the home, the room dominated by a big screen TV and a rather large L shaped sofa. Against the sky blue walls are wooden book shelves filled with books. The sofa is black, and the big screen TV is against the wall on the right as I enter the square shaped room. Through an archway opposite the TV I can see what looks like a modern dining room. In front of the sofa is a coffee table and Shizuku sits down on the sofa, patting the spot to her immediate right.

"You said you wanted to talk?" She asks as I sit down next to her on her right.

"Yeah…" I answer hesitantly, not knowing how to say what I want to say.

I feel her hands dance around my arm, her arms looping around my left arm. A moment later I feel something soft press against my left arm while she looks up at me with curiosity in her gaze.

_Those are her…_

Looking down I confirmed that it is in fact her bosom pressed against my arm, a smile on her face.

"Well?" She asks curiously. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" She asks with that smile.

_Just say it! Tell her you want her to be your girlfriend!_

"I've thought about it a lot, and I've decided Shizuku I like you and I want you to be my girlfriend!" I blurt it out, and the smile disappears, replaced by an expression of shocked disbelief.

Looking at her, I can't help but feel that I made a mistake, and I open my mouth to apologize, to try and smooth things over when she looks down, an air of embarrassment forming around her.

"Do you mean that Natsuru?" She asks in disbelief.

"Yeah, I do." I answer her. "I want to be with you, Shizuku."

"Natsuru…" She whispers, and I open my mouth to say something when I suddenly feel her lips press against mine, her arms wrapping around my shoulders.

At first I'm surprised by it, and I can feel her tongue snake into my mouth, and before long my tongue joins hers, dancing with hers in the kiss, and a moment later she pulls back, an uncharacteristic blush on her face.

"Natsuru, I'm so happy…" She says, putting her head against my chest.

I can feel my heart beating like a jackhammer, and without even realizing it I put my arms around her shoulders, and she snuggles closer to me, enjoying being close to me.

Being this close to her, I can smell her, a clean ginger smell.

"You smell nice…" I whisper, feeling so relaxed suddenly.

_She's holding me so warmly, so lovingly. To think that this is the student council president that used to look at me with ice in her gaze, but so much has changed…_

"What about Kaede?" Shizuku asks, and I shake my head.

"I'm done with Sakura-san." I tell her with resolution in my voice. "She despises me, of that I'm positive."

She looks up at me with happiness in her eyes.

"I'm very happy to hear that." She says, putting her head back against my chest. "I thought that you might choose to become a girl forever to get her…"

I shake my head slowly.

"The female me isn't me Shizuku, this is the real me, nothing will change that."

She looks up at me again, and the next thing I know I'm tackled to the sofa, Shizuku suddenly on top of me, her lips meeting mine again. Her hands drift down my body, and I feel her hand slip beneath my shirt, touching my bare chest beneath as we continue to kiss. My own hands drift down her sides, and she breaks the kiss, looking down at me with longing in her eyes.

"Natsuru, do you want to touch me?" She asks in a provocative tone.

My hands just above her waist, I don't know what to say to that when she pulls her own hands from beneath my shirt, she unbuttons the light purple blouse, letting it open to reveal she's wearing a lacy dark blue bra. She shucks the blouse, throwing it aside.

My virgin eyes bulge, and another part of me bulges at the sight of her breasts. She giggles lightly, taking my hands in hers.

"I can feel something hard pressing against my panties Natsuru…" She says with a smile as she guides my hands to her chest, gently putting my hands on her breasts.

_So soft…_

I can't help but grope her, the bra feeling silky beneath my fingers as I fondle her.

"Ah…" She lets out a low moan, and she looks down at me with her cheeks flushed red.

I stop then, not knowing whether or not she's enjoying what I'm doing or hating it.

"Shizuku…" I trail, my hands still on her chest.

"You're the only person I'll let touch me like this…" She says, and I'm tongue tied as to what to say to her. "So, please continue…"

She reaches behind her, and I hear the sound of a clasp being undone, and from beneath my fingers she slips the bra off, and suddenly there's nothing between my hands and her breasts.

_Shizuku…_

With what little I know, I continue to touch her. I can feel her nipples beneath my hands, and she begins to let out little moans as I caress her.

"Natsuru…ah…" She whispers, her face flushing.

Being a second year high school student I've learned a lot just by being around other guys my age, and I know I can do something else to make her feel even better…

Pulling my left hand away, I sit up, bringing my lips to the exposed breast, gently licking and sucking on her nipple.

"Natsuru…That's…oh!" She moans, and I keep going, making sure to change up what I'm doing, both with my hand and my mouth using her moans to see what she likes and what she doesn't.

"Natsuru…I…"

She begins to moan more and more, her voice no longer forming words, and I can almost feel the pleasure building inside of her. I keep doing what I'm doing, increasing the speed of my tongue against her nipple, my right hand fondling her as she arches her back forward, pushing her chest out toward me.

"Natsuru, I'm…I'm…AHHH!"

Her body arches, and I can see her entire body tense for a split second, and then she breathes, her eyelids fluttering open and closed as she looks up at the ceiling, her back straightening as she looks down at me.

_Did she just?_

Slowly pulling my lips from her breast, I look up at her questioningly.

"Shizuku…?"

She breathes heavily, looking down at me with a look pleasure on her face and in her eyes.

"Natsuru…" She whispers.

I can feel a slight dampness against my crotch, and she leans down, kissing my greedily as she lies topless on top of me. We make out for a minute, and I quickly learn how to kiss her, and when she pulls back she has a look of happiness in her eyes.

"Natsuru…I love you…" She says, her hair hanging down around us.

"I love you too Shizuku…" I answer without thinking, the words just seeming to come out without any thought.

"Natsuru, I'm so happy…" She says with tears in her eyes.

I can feel her tears fall, splattering gently on my cheeks. Without thinking I wrap her in my arms, holding her lovingly.

"Natsuru…I…" She whispers, her voice breaking.

"It's all right." I finally say in a soothing voice, holding her as gently as I can. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't want this to end…" She whispers.

"We can stay like this as long as you want." I assure her, stroking her dark hair.

She smiles at me, and I can see the resignation in her gaze.

"I'd like that, but I really should get up…"

_Why?_

I release her from my arms; looking up at her I try to look understanding.

"Go ahead." I tell her, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice, but a little of it shows.

She smiles, getting off of me slowly.

"Wait here will you?" She asks pensively, and I nod.

"Sure." I answer, swinging my legs around and sitting up.

She bends down, retrieving her discarded clothing.

"I'll be right back." She says.

She walks out of the living room, and I hear her footsteps against the steps receding as she goes upstairs.

"Crap…" I mutter, looking down at the floor.

_I must've disappointed her or done something wrong. Everything seemed like it was going so well, it looked and sounded like she was enjoying what I was doing, and she didn't tell me to stop, so how did I mess up?_

I can't not think about it, going over the entire experience in my mind, trying to figure out where I made a mistake, what I did wrong. I go over it again and again, trying to figure out what I did wrong when her voice pulls me from my thoughts.

"Natsuru?" I hear Shizuku speak aloud, and I look around, trying to locate her, but I'm alone in the living room.

"Shizuku?" I ask aloud.

"Could you come up here a minute?"

I swallow the saliva in my mouth.

"Uh yeah, sure, just a sec." I call out.

I get up off the sofa, carefully moving around the sofa and to the steps. I look up to see the top of steps empty, and a million questions begin to spin around my mind as I start up the steps.

_Is she going to do something or is she bringing me up here to show me her room or…_

At the top of the steps is a hand rail, and there is a single hallway that bisects the home. I stop at the entrance to this hallway, seeing 4 doors in the sky blue walls in front of me, 2 on each side of the hall, the one on the 2nd one on the right hanging open.

I swallow the saliva in my throat, feeling of curiosity and anticipation beginning to build in my system.

"Shizuku?" I call out hesitantly, and her voice comes from the open doorway.

"In here." She calls back, and I move to the door, stopping at the frame.

I take a deep breath, blowing it out I try to calm myself down.

_Whatever it is face it like a man and remember that you've chosen her, don't do anything to hurt her…_

With that in mind I step around the corner, and at first I can't believe what I'm seeing. Shizuku stands in the middle of a bedroom, a twin size bed, a desk and a chair, and even a trunk with stuffed animals on top of it, a pair of white doors that no doubt open to a closet Sitting on a nail in the wall to the left of the bed I see the snail cell phone strap I bought her on our date hanging there.

Shizuku stands in the middle of it all, naked save for her red Kampfer bracelet.

"Shizuku…" I mutter in disbelief, taking in her naked form.

Her skin is flawless, her curves all in the right places, her pubic hair neatly trimmed. I look her in the face, and she blushes heavily, turning her head away in embarrassment.

"Natsuru…I…" She begins, her voice filled with embarrassment.

_Does she want to have sex with me? So soon?_

I step into the room, wrapping my arms around her.

"Natsuru…" She trails with a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Shizuku, you're beautiful, and I like you, but isn't this a little fast?" I whisper.

"You don't want to…?"

I shake my head no.

"I do! I really do, but I don't want to do something I'm going to regret later. We're both still in school, and I don't have any protection. I don't want you to have to choose whether or not to have a baby. I love you Shizuku, but I think we should just wait a bit, okay?"

She nods, and she puts her head against my chest.

"Thank you though." I whisper. "You've a very beautiful woman."

"Thank you Natsuru…" She trails, wrapping her arms around me.

For a moment I just hold her, feeling her bare chest through my shirt, and I slowly step back, careful to avoid her feet.

"You should get dressed, or you'll get sick." I say, and she nods. "Want me to turn around?"

She shakes her head no.

"You don't have to, though I do have a favor to ask you…"

"What is it?"

"Would you spend the night here with me tonight? We can go to school together tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, sure. I think I'd like that. I'll have to go back to my house to get some things though."

She smiles.

"Thank you Natsuru."

* * *

20 minutes later Shizuku is dressed again in the same light purple blouse and mini skirt and stockings. She picks the strap from the nail, gingerly wrapping it around her wrist until it hangs there like a bracelet.

"If I'm gonna spend the night then I need to go back to my house to get my uniform and my books. You want to come with me?"

She nods, smiling happily at me.

"I'd like that."

Together the two of us walk down the steps, me behind her and she stops at the door. We both slip our shoes on and I open the door and step out, Shizuku behind me. I hear the snick on the bolt locking, and I look at her as she drops the keys into a small pursue she picked up from her room.

"Where are your parents?" I ask.

"They're both gone a lot for my father's work." She says, grabbing hold of my left arm. "Shall we go?"

I try to force myself not to blush at the display of affection, nodding briskly.

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

During the 15 minute walk from her house to mine she seems happy. We don't talk much, and whenever I look down at her she smiles at me, snuggling up against my arm.

_I never thought she could act like this…_

I lead her to my front door, and I stop there, reaching into my right hip pocket I fish out my keys.

"You said Kondo-san lives next door to you, didn't you?" She asks, and I nod.

"Yeah, she does." I answer, opening the door.

"Have you told her about your choice?" She asks.

Since the doorway isn't wide enough for both of us to enter side by side, she releases my arm and I walk in first with her close behind. I close the door behind me, shaking my head no as she slips off her shoes.

"I told her I just wanted to be friends with her, that I couldn't like her the same way I like you." I explain for Shizuku, who nods, seeming satisfied.

"What about Mishima-san?"

I shake my head no.

"I haven't told her anything yet…"

A smile graces her lips.

"I think it would be wise if you had me with you when you tell her about us." She advises, and I nod my head in agreement.

"Come on upstairs, I just gotta grab some clothes and stuff."

"All right." She answers, and I walk up the steps toward my room, with Shizuku close behind.

I go up to the steps to my room, and once inside I head to the closet, grabbing an overnight bag there and a clean uniform for Seitetsu, gently placing the folded clothes in the bag.

"So, this is a boy's room…" Shizuku comments.

I look behind me to see her sitting on my bed, looking around at my simple room.

"Oh, so you brought that red Kampfer here?" Disemboweled Tiger comments from my desk.

I scowl at the tiger plushie.

"Her name is Shizuku." I snap at the tiger.

Shizuku smiles at that, watching with an amused expression on her face. I sigh lightly, standing up and walking to the door.

"I'm gonna grab my toothbrush, do I need to bring shampoo or soap?"

She shakes her head no.

"I've got plenty of those things." Shizuku answers me.

"Cool."

I quickly duck into the bathroom, grabbing my toothbrush and walking back to my bedroom. Shizuku still sits on my bed as I put my toothbrush into the overnight bag, zipping the bag up before.

"NAT-SU-RU!" An angry roar comes from downstairs.

I look at Shizuku, who looks back at with recognition in her eyes.

_Akane…_

The red haired Kampfer bursts into my room, gun in hand.

"NAT-SU-RU!" She roars again, leveling the M1911 at my head.

"Akane! Calm down!" I yelp in fear.

"Calm down? Calm down!?" She demands, finger on the trigger. "You choose Madam President over me and don't even bother to tell me and you tell me to CALM DOWN?!"

"How do you know about Natsuru and me?" Shizuku asks, and I spin my head in her direction to see she's transformed, her daggers in hand.

"Mikoto told me!" Akane growls, turning her pistol to Shizuku.

"Akane stop this!" I demand, standing up straight.

She turns the gun back to me, glaring at me in anger.

"How could you choose that bitch over me!?" Akane demands. "We're supposed to be partners aren't we!?"

"Akane…"

BANG! She fires, and I barely avoid the bullet.

"Akane, stop!" I plead.

BANG! BANG! BANG! She fires again and again, and each time the bullet sails within inches of me. My last dodge has me lying on the floor, and Akane points the pistol right at my forehead.

"NATSURU YOU ASSHOLE!" She roars in rage.

Twin blades appear out of nowhere, pressing lightly against Akane's neck.

"Keep this up and I'll have to take your head." Shizuku says coldly.

"Geh…" Akane growls in contempt.

She slowly lowers the pistol, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Now's your chance to explain your feelings Natsuru." Shizuku reminds me, and I nod.

Looking at Akane in her Kampfer form, Shizuku's daggers still at her throat, I can't help but feel bad for what I'm about to say.

"Akane, I'm sorry but I don't think I can have a romantic relationship with you." I explain as calmly as I can. "If you want we can still be friends, but I'll understand if you don't want to speak to me anymore."

Akane's body glows and she transforms back into her normal form. Shizuku finally lowers her daggers, and I can see the sadness in Akane's bespectacled gaze.

"Natsuru…" She trails.

She runs out, going past Shizuku and down the stairs, running out of the door and slamming it behind her.

I look to Shizuku, who changes back into her normal form, looking at me with questioning in her eyes.

"Are you going to chase her?"

I shake my head no.

"She has every right to be angry at me." I admit. "I just rejected her feelings, I'd be angry too."

_I was angry, still am…_

Shizuku walks toward me, putting her hands on my shoulders she looks at me with happiness in her eyes.

"It'll be all right. I'm sure she'll forgive you for letting her down easily, and if I know how she feels she won't give up on you just because you've finally chosen me."

"I don't know…" I mutter, shaking my head. "I'll have to call my parents and get the insurance company involved to fix the damage she just caused…"

"It'll be all right." Shizuku assures me, giving me a kiss on my lips.

_Why is it when she does that I just want to agree with her?_


	2. Chapter 2

(Well, this is Chapter 2. This story got generally positive remarks, and you people seemed to like the intimacy displayed in the first chapter. Well, that continues here, but this isn't a lemon. It does get a little racy with a shower scene and there's some more groping, but nothing worse then what's in the first chapter. For those that ask I'm going to try to pace their relationship to a real relationship, not 'I like you...' and two paragraphs later they've had sex. Any student who asks a girl out and she sleeps with him on the first date is in a relationship that isn't going to last long, as no woman will rush sex with a man they REALLY like, and this story isn't in some great dimension where you can have sex and there not be any consequences for the act. Anyway, if you don't like that, I'm sorry, but I write what I wanna write. If you don't like it, the internet's a free goddamn place and you can always read one of the other BILLIONS of stories on this site, at least a million of which are probably lemons. Someone commented that they felt as if Shizuku wasn't as playful in this story, and I hope that her actions in this chapter ratify that. Anyway, enjoy the chap!)

Chapter 2

30 minutes later Shizuku and I are walking back to her house. I called my folks and told them that a crazy gunman came around and blew holes in the walls of the house, and got the name of the insurance company they deal with. I've told myself I'll call the insurance company tomorrow, though now Shizuku and I walk hand and hand back to her house. She holds onto my arm, smiling happily as we walk.

"You sure seem happy _Madam President_."

She looks up at me, scowling suddenly.

"What did I tell you Natsuru?"

I grin mischievously, knowing that she'd react to my calling her Madam President rather then her name.

"I know Shizuku." I smile at her. "You just look cute when you scowl."

She blushes, looking even cuter and quickly looks away in embarrassment.

"Natsuru, you know how I feel about you…" She mutters, and I nod, gently touching her cheek.

"I know Shizuku." I say as I gently tilt her face toward me, kissing her lightly.

As I pull my lips back and open my eyes, she has a smile on her lips.

"Natsuru…" She mutters, her hand touching me on my chest, and I can feel her breasts against my right arm, the soft flesh warm, even through her blouse.

"Shizuku… I…"

She kisses me again, and this time her tongue slips into my mouth, coiling and twisting around my own.

* * *

10 minutes later we're at Shizuku's front door. During the majority of the trip we kissed and held hands, and I can honestly say that things have been getting hot and heavy between us, and it makes the hair stand on the back of my neck when I think about it, a chill running down my spine at what could happen if the two of us had sex…

_She could get pregnant, and then we'd have to choose whether or not to have the baby, and we're both still students…_

_ That_ thought is sufficient enough to kill my libido…

"Natsuru?" Her voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I blink, seeing that we're again standing inside her home near the door.

"What's up Shizuku?" I ask, blinking away the daze.

"You look like you were thinking about something. I was just curious."

I shake my head.

"It wasn't anything important." I say with a smile scratching the back of my head.

She looks at me with scrutiny in her gaze, studying me closely.

"All right…" She hesitantly agrees. "Let me take your bag, I'll put it into my room."

"Don't you have a guest bedroom?"

She looks at me questioningly as I hand her the over night bag and my school bag.

"Do you not want to share a bed with me?"

"Shizuku, I think sex when I've only just asked you out is a little fast..."

She grins, looking at me mischievously.

"I didn't say anything about sex Natsuru; you really should get your mind out of the gutter."

On that note she takes my bags up the steps, and I sigh in resignation as she disappears at the top of the steps. I stand near the door, waiting as patiently as I can while Shizuku appears at the top of the steps, calmly walking down the steps.

"Well…" I hesitantly begin. "What should we do now?"

"Wanna watch a movie?" Shizuku asks. "We've got a lot of DVDs, and there's even pay per view…"

"You sure your folks won't get mad if we did something like that?"

She shakes her head no.

"I've never had a problem before."

She turns, heading back for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" I ask, watching as she gets up to the third step.

"I'm going to go change into something more comfortable." She explains as she climbs the stairs.

_That_ sends a chill down my spine.

"Uh Shizuku, I don't want to do something we might regret…"

She smiles, standing at the top of the stairs.

"I remember Natsuru." She says with a mischievous smile, and then walks out of sight.

I shake my head, sighing as I walk into the living room, slipping the overnight bag onto the floor in front of the sofa before I sit down on the couch. I lean back into the sofa, closing my eyes and sighing again.

_What have I got myself into? When she asked me to spend the night I thought that I made it clear that I didn't want to have sex yet. I only just asked her to be my girlfriend, and that 'date' we went on was hardly a date. I mean she's made out with me before and we've kissed, but sex is SEX, and if she ended up pregnant, it could change our lives forever…_

"Natsuru…" Her voice pulls me from my thoughts.

My head spins toward the archway, and what I see makes my mouth drop. Shizuku now wears a lacy pink teddy that leaves very little to the imagination. She slowly turns, showing me her bare back and legs, her butt hardly covered by the garment.

"What do you think?" She asks, and I shut my mouth, looking away in embarrassment.

"You look really good Shizuku."

She sits down next to me, pressing her body against mine with a satisfied smile on her face.

"I'm glad to hear that Natsuru. I bought this just for you."

I blush in embarrassment, doing anything I can not to look at Shizuku in the skimpy lingerie.

"That's nice…but how did you know that I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend?"

I glance to her face and see her smiling evilly.

"I didn't…" She says, pressing her breasts against my left arm.

"Shizuku…I don't…" I mutter, and Shizuku smiles. "Are you trying to tempt me?"

"A little…" She says with false innocence in her tone. "Is it working?" She asks, her expression telling me that the question is rhetorical, and she knows full well how much she's turning me on.

"I think you're really beautiful Shizuku, and I don't have any protection, so I can't have sex with you. I don't want you to get pregnant."

She smiles.

"I know Natsuru, I just like teasing you." She playfully says. "Your blushing face is just so adorable. I can't get enough of it."

I look away in embarrassment.

"You're just teasing me Shizuku?"

I feel her hand on my shoulder, and I look to see her looking at me with lust in her eyes.

"If you want Natsuru, I'll give you everything..."

A chill runs down my spine at the seriousness in her voice.

"Shizuku…"

I lean my head in, going to kiss her and I feel her lips meet mine. My hands move, somehow finding her supple chest and gently massaging them through the teddy. A moan escapes her lips, and she pushes me down, breaking our kiss and surprising me as she leans over me, her hair falling around me.

"Shizuku…" I mutter, not knowing what to say.

"Natsuru, I love you…"

She kisses me again, and I adjust my legs as she presses her body against mine, with her straddling me I can feel her through the teddy, her soft breasts, the smooth skin of her stomach and thighs…

"Shizuku…" I manage to whisper with her face so close to mine…

"Natsuru…you've seen me, now I want to see you…"

My eyes immediately glance down, and she smiles playfully at me.

"Your chest…" She says, getting her hands beneath the bottom of my shirt. "Let me see it."

I force myself not to visibly react in relief, instead I nod.

"Sure…"

Leaning forward slightly, Shizuku arches her back, allowing me to get my shirt up and over my head, and once the garment is gone I feel her warm hands on my bare chest, and I lay back down only to feel her body come to rest against mine, her head on my chest, her hands idly dancing across my chest and my ribs.

"That tickles…" I mutter as her left hand slides across my left side, and a smile comes to her face.

"Oh…"

Almost immediately her hands pounce on my sides, her fingers poking into my ribs and tickling me mercilessly.

"Ga! No! Ha-ha THAT TICKLES!" I protest, but she continues, giggling as she torments me.

"Fu-fu-fu… I had no idea you were the ticklish type Natsuru…" She continues, her hands going up and down my sides.

"Shizuku! Please stop! It hurts…" I cry out between laughs.

Her hands stop moving, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I look up at her, and I see her smiling down at me.

"You're cute Natsuru." She says, giving me a peck on the lips.

"Shizuku…"

She puts her head on my chest, closing her eyes.

"Can I stay like this for a while Natsuru?"

"Yeah, I don't mind…"

* * *

For the next 3 hours I am content to simply enjoy her lying on top of me. She isn't that heavy, though after 3 hours of not going to bathroom a certain urge begins to rear its ugly head, and after 3 hours it's to the point where I can no longer ignore it.

"Shizuku, I kinda have to use the bathroom."

She her head rises, looking down at me with that playful smirk I'm used to seeing on her face, a feeling of dread forming at the sight of the expression.

"Just do it in your pants." She says seriously, and for a moment I can't believe what I'm hearing.

The two of us are dead silent, and then she starts to giggle.

"Natsuru…did you…believe me…?" She asks between laughs, and I sigh heavily as she gets off of me, standing up straight.

"Bathroom is upstairs, first door on the left."

"Thank you."

I get up and go upstairs, going to the bathroom I do what I have to do, making sure I wash my hands afterward and coming back down stairs I see Shizuku sitting in the living room with the lights off with a remote in hand, the TV flipping through the channels. She looks up upon me walking through the archway into the living room, and she smiles at me.

"That new _Transformers_ movie is out on Pay per View, have you seen it yet?"

I shake my head no.

"Nope. I've seen the first 2 though."

"Wanna watch the third?"

I nod, sitting down next to her. She presses some buttons on the remote, and once the movie begins on the big screen she leans on my shoulder, and I relax into the sofa, enjoying the time spent with the girl.

Nearly 3 hours later the movie ends, and Shizuku leans against me, the closing credits of the movie slowly rising up and off the screen.

"What do you want to do now?" I ask.

She snuggles next to me, apparently unwilling to move. She sits leaning against me, and with the teddy I have an almost unobstructed view of her breasts, and I can't say that it isn't having an affect on me.

"Just let it go, it'll automatically replay." She says, and her left hand touches my crotch, holding the bulge there. "Besides, isn't dealing with this more important?" She playfully asks with a smile.

"Uh, Shizuku, I don't think that's really important."

She smiles, looking at me with a seductive look on her face, her hand still on my groin.

"Your mouth tells lies, but your body is ALWAYS honest…"

"It isn't that I don't want to! I really do want to be with you, but I couldn't forgive myself if you got pregnant!"

Shizuku's smile changes, loosing some of the sensuality and gaining an honest appreciative quality.

"That's one of things I love about you Natsuru." She says, kissing me on my lips. "You're always worried about me…"

* * *

The next morning Shizuku wakes me up, gently shaking me.

"Natsuru, its 6 am."

I open my eyes, sitting up I groggily look around before wiping my eyes to clear them. Shizuku lies on my right, and the two of us are in her bed.

_We didn't do anything last night, I'm still wearing my boxers and a night shirt and she's still wearing the shirt she wears to bed. We ordered take out for dinner and watched movies together before we just went to bed together, nothing happened…_

"Natsuru?" She asks, and I blink, pushing my thoughts aside.

"Thank you Shizuku." I thank her, gently kissing her on the cheek fully aware of morning breath. "You want the bathroom first, or should I go first?"

A sly smile comes to her lips.

"We can always shower together…"

The hairs stand on the back of my neck in surprise at the mention of the idea.

"Shizuku…I really don't think that'll be a good idea." I admit, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment.

She smiles, taking my hand she steps up off of the bed, pulling me up and off the bed.

"It'll be okay Natsuru. I promise it'll be all right." She says reassuringly.

Being pulled by her, I don't really have any choice other than to use force to physically stop her or go along with her. She pulls me out of her bedroom and into the bathroom, closing the door behind us.

"Shizuku, I…" I stutter, watching as she pulls the shirt from her body, revealing her beautiful naked body.

I blush, looking away in embarrassment.

"Natsuru, why are you embarrassed?"

"You-you're a girl, and I'm a guy, and I've never seen a woman naked before, not unless you count magazines and earlier yesterday…"

I feel her hand on my cheek, and she gently turns my head toward her, a sincere expression on her face.

"Am I not good enough for you Natsuru?"

"NO!" I practically yell, clasping my hand over my mouth in surprise at the volume of my own voice. "No, you're very beautiful Shizuku…"

She smiles, her hand finding the collar of the white button down shirt I wear to bed.

"Just relax Natsuru everything will be fine, I promise."

With nothing more then her assurance that everything will be fine I reluctantly get naked. Unfortunately, the morning condition combined with Shizuku standing naked less then a foot away ensures that I'm at full attention, soliciting a smile from Shizuku.

"You've got a nice _schwert_ there." She says, glancing down at my crotch.

I blush, my hands futilely moving to my groin and covering it.

"I'm a virgin, and with morning wood…" I mutter, and Shizuku smiles, pulling the shower curtain back.

Stepping inside the curtain, Shizuku bids me to follow her.

"Come Natsuru." She bids me and I force myself not to think about the double meaning to her words.

_Baseball, grass growing, grandma in her nightgown…_

Stepping into the shower I force myself to think about anything other than sex, and as Shizuku closes the curtain and starts the water, the heat from the water does help to relax me, and she grabs shampoo from a rack of soaps inside the shower, opening the top of the bottle.

"Would you wash my hair for me? It gets a little difficult to clean when it's this long…"

I practically jump out of my skin at the opportunity to do something, a task to occupy my mind that doesn't have anything to do with sex.

"Sure." I answer, by now both Shizuku and I are soaking wet from the shower. "I'll help however I can."

"Hold out your hands then." She asks, and I oblige, Shizuku squirting some of the shampoo into my hands. "Lather it into my hair; try not to pull on it."

"Okay."

Always having short hair, I have no idea how to really wash longer hair, so I try to be as gentle as possible as I massage the shampoo into her scalp and then down her long locks, and I concentrate on her hair, doing everything in my power not to look at her butt or anything other then her hair as I clean her hair for her.

"You're really good at this Natsuru. I feel like a princess…"

I blush at the compliment, gently tending to her hair.

"Thanks, though I hope I did it right." I tell her, stepping back away from her.

She turns around, tilting her head back to allow the shower water to permeate her hair and flow down her strands, and it's then that I notice that her nipples are firmer looking, not as soft looking as before…

_Did she get excited by my washing her hair? Don't a woman's breasts react by getting harder when they're aroused? It could be that she's cold too, don't go over thinking things…_

As the soap slides off her hair, she smiles, taking a step toward me and I feel her breasts gently press against my chest, my shaft rubbing against her lower stomach.

"I can feel something _hard_ pressing against my stomach…"

"You're a beautiful woman Shizuku, and all wet like that…"

She smiles.

"You look scrumptious too Natsuru." She says, licking her lips.

_School, nuns, old witches with giant warts on their noses…_

"We should shower Shizuku; we have to go to school in a few hours."

She nods, sighing in resignation.

"I know Natsuru, now we'll scrub one another; I promise I won't tease you if you don't tease me."

I nod, relaxing just a little.

30 minutes later both Shizuku and I emerge from the shower, wet but clean, and fortunately neither of us have lost our virginity, though things did get hot and heavy, especially when we touched each other's 'naughty' parts…

She hands me a towel, and I gratefully take it, using it towel off my hair and then towel off my body as Shizuku wraps herself in a towel and goes to the sink, where a nearby hair dryer is hanging. She turns on the hair dryer, blow drying her hair while I dry off. Once I'm dry, I look up at her to see her still blow drying her hair.

"I'm gonna go get dressed, want me to make something for breakfast?"

"That's okay, I'll make breakfast once I'm done here, and we still have over an hour and a half to get to school."

I nod.

"All right, well let me know if you want me to help out. I feel bad just sitting around doing nothing while you do all the work."

"Don't worry about it Natsuru." She says, smiling at me as she moves the blow dryer up and down her hair.

"All right, I'll go get dressed."

With that I grab my discarded clothes and head for her room. Once I'm in her room, I open the over night bag I brought and grab a school uniform and some underwear from inside. Putting the clothes on I dress, grabbing a pair of socks and putting them on before I move to the mirror in Shizuku's room, making sure I look presentable before I run my hands through my hair, straightening it.

I pack up my clothes, making sure to get everything I brought back into the bag. Not long after I finish packing I hear soft footsteps in the hall, turning my head to see the door open and Shizuku stride into the room naked as the day she was born, not a hint of embarrassment on her as she walks to her closet, opening it and beginning to dress.

"I'll head downstairs!" I blurt, practically flying from her room before she can say a word.

I practically fly down the steps, and once I'm downstairs I breathe a sigh of relief. I set my bag down near the door, heading into the living room and flopping down on the sofa.

_I got through that and didn't do anything. It was really hard, figuratively and literally. Then there's school, do we tell people that we're an item? I mean Mikoto and Akane both know that I've chosen Shizuku, but what should I say about it? I mean, she's the student council president and she even has her own _fan club_ for Kami's sake! If they find out that I'm her boyfriend they'll lynch me, or maybe they'll do something even worse! Fortunately Shizuku's fans seem to be masochists, so if she tells them to leave me alone it's possible they'll leave me alone. Though I doubt that even if she does tell them to lay off that they will. I'll have to talk with her about it, though I can almost guarantee that she'll want to tell everyone we're together, and what we were doing yesterday and this morning…_

_ That_ sends a chill down my spine.

_If her fan club found out that we were in anyway intimate or that I'd showered together with her then they'll skin me alive! Plus there's no idea what Higashida will do when he learns that I've become so close to the girl he likes! Then there's the fact that I'm supposedly dating my female self. I suppose that rumor will be shot out the window when I start saying that I was never dating the female Seno Natsuru, and I'll have to be careful not to transform into my Kampfer form at school after today. Even if I somehow manage to conceal the fact that I am both the male and female Seno Natsuru, then every member of my female self's fan club will be scrambling after me like moth's drawn to a flame…_

It's then that footsteps come down the steps, and I look to the steps to see Shizuku coming down the steps wearing her school uniform. At the bottom of the steps she turns and walks into the living room, stopping in the archway.

"What do you want for breakfast Natsuru?"

I shrug my shoulders.

"Whatever you want to make Shizuku, I can't really ask you to make anything, since I'm imposing…"

She smiles, striding to the sofa she bends down, her lips inches from mine.

"That's what I like about you Natsuru." She says, giving me a quick kiss.

She stands up straight, smiling at me.

"I'll go make breakfast then." She says and heads for the only other exit in the living room.

I get up, as much to stay with her as to learn more about the lay out of the house. Walking behind her I see that the dining area 'behind' the living room is connected to a kitchen, the dining room half the size of the of the living room, the full kitchen filling the other half of the space, an archway leading to the entrance hallway in the kitchen. Looking at it all, I find that the dining room and kitchen are actually deeper then the living room, the dining room and kitchen taking up more then half of the floor space of the bottom floor.

The dining room has hardwood floors, like the living room, and the dining room table is made of black metal, the 4 chairs matching the table with dark cushions. The kitchen walls are white and with white tile floors. The counters look to be faux granite, and Shizuku steps into the kitchen, casually opening the cabinets and counters and going to work.

* * *

80 minutes later Shizuku and I are walking to school. Like what is quickly becoming 'normal' Shizuku has her arms wrapped around my left arm and her breasts pressing against my arm. She smiles happily as we walk, and I can't even begin to imagine how the students at school are going to react to my relationship with her.

_So why waste time thinking about it? She's the student council president and you're a slob. People will react however they're going to react, so the only thing you can do is get it over with…_

As we approach the school, I see two familiar figures standing near the entrance to the girl's side of the school. They both lean against the fence, one looking more patient then the other…

_Akane, Mikoto?_

Seeing both Shizuku and me approaching the school, Mikoto pushes herself off of the wall, Akane doing the same a moment later. The two of them stand side by side as we approach, and I stop with Shizuku still right next to me. She seems to hold onto to me tighter, looking at both Mikoto and Akane with a look that is less then happy.

"Mishima-san, Kondo-san…" I say in greeting, speaking formally to both of them.

"Natsuru…" The shy Akane says while pressing her fingers together she looks away in embarrassment.

Mikoto however isn't embarrassed, and her tone is quite adamant.

"Natsuru, neither Akane-chan nor I are giving up on you!" She blurts out, and my mouth nearly drops.

Shizuku somehow holds me tighter, staking her claim.

"Natsuru chose me; you both should just let us be happy." She tells both of them.

Mikoto shakes her head.

"We aren't going to try and break you two up, but just because Natsuru chose you Madam President doesn't mean that you're the one he'll end up with. Both Akane-chan and I agree that we both still like him, and that if the two of you break up we're going to be there."

_So they're telling her that if we call it quits they're going to be here to catch me on the rebound?_

"Natsuru and I love each other!" Shizuku adamantly declares.

A crowd begins to gather, and I look around, the mostly female crowd looking on and whispering amongst themselves.

"Isn't that the Student Council President?"

"Isn't that Seno Natsuru, what's he doing with the Student Council President?"

"Are they a couple? Isn't he dating the female Seno Natsuru?"

"I'm gonna be late, gotta go, bye!" I quickly blurt out, somehow managing to pull my arm from Shizuku's grasp and getting past Akane and Mikoto as I take off to a run, heading for the boy's side of the school.

* * *

Getting to my homeroom I'm grateful to see that there aren't very many students in the classroom yet. Plopping into my seat I sigh in exhaustion, my head dropping forehead first onto the desk with a CRACK!

"Ow…" I mutter, not even bothering to move my head an inch.

_First I get told that I've got two female sharks in the water waiting for Shizuku to dump me so they can pick up the pieces, then people start gathering and now rumors will begin to fly? Kami what in the world did I ever do to deserve this?_

"Seno…!" A familiar voice enters my ears.

_Higashida…?_

I sit up to see my friend walking to my desk with angry stomps, the brown haired boy stopping directly in front of me.

"Are the rumors true? Are you and the Madam President really in a relationship?"

"Uh…"

He reaches out, grabbing me by the collar.

"Tell me it isn't true man!" He voice cracking as he pleads with me. "Tell me you don't have BOTH the female Natsuru AND Shizuku-sama!?"

I look away in embarrassment, avoiding his eyes.

"I'm not dating the female Natsuru, so I can't have both…" I answer, and I glance to see desperation in his eyes.

"So you're dating Madam President? I thought you liked Sakura-san?!"

I nod reluctantly.

"Yeah, I asked Shizuku out yesterday and she said yes…" I answer, ignoring his question about Sakura.

He lets go of my collar, looking up at the ceiling in questioning.

"WHY KAMI? Why does this slob get the hot chicks and I can't even get a wink!?"

"Slob huh…?" I mutter, and he looks down at me, shaking his head.

"Oh, I meant to tell you, you have some visitors."

"Visitors?"

Higashida motions with his thumb toward the door at the front of the classroom.

I get up and walk past him toward the door, and when I open it, I can honestly say I'm surprised…

A group of 20 guys wearing white headbands stand clustered around the door. They all wear the Seitetsu uniform, and all of the head bands have Shizuku's name written on them with a pink heart between her first and last name. Upon seeing me all 20 of them look at me with murder in their eyes…

"Seno Natsuru! We are the 'Please Scold Me Sango Shizuku-sama' club! We're here to punish you for violating our dreams of being with Shizuku-sama!" One of them decrees.

"…What…" I mutter dryly.

One of the men produces a rope from somewhere, lashing out with it like a whip toward me.

"Get him!" One of them yells.

"Skin him alive!" Another man cries.

I do what I've learned to do thanks to being a Kampfer. I avoid the rope and take off like a bat out of hell for the other door at the rear of the classroom. I hit it running, barreling through a group of men I keep running, adrenaline pumping into my system and giving me the strength I need to push through and get an open stretch of hallway in front of me.

_Gotta run, gotta run, gogogogogogogogogo!_

* * *

20 minutes later I stand in a dark broom closet, hand over my mouth to silence my breathing, my heart beating like a trip hammer in my chest. I strain to listen, trying to hear the sounds of the pursing Shizuku groupies that are out for my blood…

_What'd you expect, them to just pat you on the back and say good luck defiling the woman we've devoted ourselves to in watching from afar? How would you have felt if Sakura had a boyfriend before you became a Kampfer, wouldn't you have been jealous at that guy? Not that it really matters though; Sakura is a lesbian and only thinks of me as a dirty man…_

I do my best to take short, quiet breaths as I listen, and the sound of the school's warning bell rings, telling me that I have to get to homeroom or I'll be considered late.

"Shit…" I mutter, sounding annoyed.

I move to the door, taking a deep breath I open it slowly, peeking out to see if anyone is in the hall and I find it thankfully empty. Sighing in relief I jog back to my homeroom, and the warning bell rings as I hit the door, the male teacher eying me as I move to my seat.

"You were almost late Seno, don't let it happen again."

"Yes, sensei." I answer.

Sitting down, I feel relief at being back in a class for a split second, until the teacher turns around to face the board and 56 eyes suddenly glare daggers at me.

"That bastard is dating Madam President, and the female Natsuru too, goddamn player. Bet he's got them both duped…" I hear a classmate mutter.

"Why's that slob getting all the hot tail?" Another classmate whispers.

I sigh, my head lulling forward in exhaustion.

_I give up, check please…_


	3. Chapter 3

(Well, here's chapter 3. hope you folks enjoy it. I hope you don't see what happens coming, and that all of you are pleasantly surprised. Review if you feel so inclined.)

Chapter 3

By the time the bell for the morning bell rings, I sit back and shake my head in resignation.

_Man, what the hell am I gonna do? Shizuku and I are in a relationship and her fan club wants my head on a platter…_

_ Then there's Akane and Mikoto, both of them have their eyes on me, waiting for Shizuku and I to get into a fight…_

"Yo, Natsuru, you got a visitor…" Higashida informs me, his voice sounding hollow and empty.

I look up to see him looking like he's had the life sucked out of him.

"Who is it?" I hesitantly ask, and he points to the front door of the class.

"Madam President is here to speak to you…"

_Shizuku?_

I get up; walking to the closed door I listen, trying to hear the sounds of the Shizuku groupies waiting to rip me apart on the other side of the closed door. However, as I close on the door I don't hear anything. Opening the door I am glad to see Shizuku standing in the hallway, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Shizuku!" I answer happily, truly glad to see her.

"Natsuru…" She smiles at me.

"What's up? Is something wrong?"

She cocks her head to the side, a sly smile coming to her face.

"Does a girl need an excuse to want to see her boyfriend?" She asks defensively, and I shake my head no.

"No…I just thought that maybe something happened…"

"Can we talk in the hall?" She asks, and I nod, stepping out of the classroom and closing the door.

"Kaede didn't come to school today." She says without preamble.

I can't help but scowl at the mention of her name, looking away from and down toward the ground.

"So what?"

"You don't think it's a little strange that she doesn't come to school the day after we defeat her?"

"So what?" I ask again, looking at her face. "You think she just isn't going to come to school anymore?"

_As if I'd get that lucky…_

"I can't say whether or not she'll come back to school, but I doubt that she's finished with us." She says, looking down at her red bracelet. "So long as we wear these bracelets, she'll continue to try and interfere with our lives and make us fight."

"I won't fall for her tricks ever again." I affirm for Shizuku. "I have nothing but hate for her."

She smiles, seemingly pleased at my response.

"That's good to hear Natsuru. I'm really worried that something is going to happen, soon…"

"You think the white Kampfers are going to attack us again?" I ask, keeping my voice low.

She shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but the four of us are going to have to be united if we're going to stand against it. If Kondo-san and Mishima-san were turned against us…" She trails off, and I nod.

"Yeah, that would be bad…"

_If Mikoto and Akane turned against us, fell under whatever spell that Sakura put me under, then…_

I don't even want to think about that…

"Well, the morning break is almost over, I need to head back to class. Let's eat lunch together later." She says.

I nod my agreement.

"Sure, I'd like that Shizuku."

Then she steps forward, leaning in for a kiss.

"Love you Shizuku." I say, giving her kiss.

She smiles happily at me.

"I love you too, Natsuru."

We hug for a moment, and then she steps around me, heading back toward the girl's side of the school. With the subject of the conversation to think about in addition to Shizuku's groupies wanting me dead…

_My life just keeps getting more interesting. At least I get to eat lunch with Shizuku, that's one bright spot in all this…_

* * *

Several hours later, the lunch bell rings, and I blink, the realization hitting me like a ton of bricks.

_I forgot to pack a lunch since I stayed over at Shizuku's house last night. Maybe she made me a bento, or maybe I can get something in the cafeteria…_

Getting up, I walk to the door, opening it and stepping into the hall, barely closing the door behind me before footsteps come running down the hall.

"N-A-T-S-U-R-U!" Mikoto's voice comes down the hall.

I look in time to see her short brown hair shoot toward me like a bullet before she tackles me to the ground, her momentum more than enough to knock me on my ass.

"WHA!?" I manage to speak before my ass hits the hallway floor.

"Natsuru! I missed you this morning! And I heard that Shizuku came to see you during morning break!"

At the sound of a female voice, BOTH sets of doors to the classroom open and a set of heads and torsos fill the doorways, looking out at the scene before them.

"Mikoto! What are you doing here? How'd you get permission to cross into the boy's side?"

She smiles happily.

"Breaking and entering is a necessary skill for an archaeologist." She says matter of factly.

A sweat drop falls down the back of my head…

"As for what I'm doing here…" She continues as though nothing is wrong. "I wanted to ask you to eat lunch with me!"

I look away, avoiding her happy eyes.

"Sorry, I kind of already have plans with Shizuku…" I answer, and I look to a see a scowl form on her face.

"What's so damn special about Madam President anyway?" She asks. "You came to school with her, and you even spent the night with her last night!"

I open my mouth to respond, but my jaw literally hits the floor after Mikoto lets **that** little tidbit of information out, and the entire hallway and classroom becomes deathly quiet. I look to the classroom, hoping to see some sign of activity, but instead I'm greeted by 56 hatred filled eyes. Students from the class next to mine have even poked their heads out of their classrooms, and some of them look with expressions of disgust, others with expressions of awe at what Mikoto just said…

_I'm dead… I'm so fucking dead… The second Shizuku's groupies hear about this, they'll crucify me and probably sodomize my corpse just for shits and giggles…_

As if on cue, slow rhythmic footsteps echo down the now silent hall, and I look to see Shizuku walking toward me, her hips rolling gently as she walks toward me. She stops near my feet, looking down at Mikoto, who noticed Shizuku coming when she was still down the hall. She now holds onto me tighter, and I can feel her squeezing on my neck, threatening to strangle me.

"Shizuku…" I mutter, and my girlfriend's eyes bore down onto Mikoto.

"What're you doing to Natsuru Kondo-san?" She asks in a flat voice.

"Go away! Natsuru's been my friend since we were little!" Mikoto tells Shizuku off.

Shizuku reaches down, grabbing Mikoto by the collar. She yanks my childhood friend off of me, making the act look like child's play as she pulls Mikoto to her feet and then pulls her down the hall, three steps back from me.

"Hey! Let me go!" Mikoto protests and I get to my feet, smiling in relief.

"Thank you Shizuku." I say, who smiles for a half second before she turns her attention to Mikoto, the smile disappearing.

"What are you doing Kondo-san?" Shizuku asks with ice in her voice. "You said this morning that you wouldn't try to break Natsuru and me up, yet here you are, lying on top of MY boyfriend."

Mikoto glares at Shizuku, not backing down in front of the student council president.

"Natsuru isn't a thing!" She argues. "He doesn't belong to you!"

"I am HIS girlfriend, and he is MY boyfriend!" Shizuku points out. "That's what it means to be in a relationship."

Mikoto scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You just seduced him and took his virginity!" She says in accusation. "The only reason he's with you is because you slept with him the day he asked you out!"

The glare that Shizuku gives Mikoto could freeze water…

"What my boyfriend and I do together is none of your business Kondo-san, even if you are his childhood friend."

Mikoto opens her mouth to say something when I hear a faint familiar growl in my ears.

"NATSURU…" Akane's voice comes down the hall.

I look in sudden fear, recognizing the inflection in the voice as her transformed state at the same moment that the transformed Kampfer walks around the corner, her pistol in hand.

"Ah-…" I stop mid sentence, realizing that if I say her name it will only cause problems…

"How could you sleep with her Natsuru!?" She asks with accusation in her voice, tears in her eyes, leveling the pistol at me. "Aren't we partners? Doesn't that mean anything?"

She fires, and the three of us drop as Akane's pistol discharges again and again, the gunshots deafening in the confined hallway.

"STOP SHOOTING!" I scream at the top of my lungs.

The gunfire stops, and I look to see her standing there, pistol in one shaking hand, pointed down, but not toward me, toward Shizuku…

"How could you fall for that slut Natsuru…?" She mutters, tears in her eyes.

I react without thinking, knowing that I absolutely CANNOT transform here, I do the only other logical thing I can think of. I charge Akane, her eyes going wide in surprise as I yell out and tackle her, the gun discharging thankfully toward the ceiling.

"Natsuru! What're you…" She trails as I grab ahold of her gun hand.

Rather then fight her for it, or try and take the gun from her, I pull her hand and press the muzzle of the handgun to my temple, holding it there with all the strength I can muster as I glare down at Akane.

"You want to shoot someone then shoot me!" I tell her. "But before I die, you're going to know that Shizuku is NOT a slut, and we haven't had sex! I did stay at her house last night, but all we did was share a bed, nothing else!"

Akane looks shocked, and I can feel her hand quaking in sudden fear with her weapon pressed against my temple.

"Natsuru…" She whimpers, her voice losing all the anger and hostility from a moment ago.

"Go ahead, shoot me…" I taunt her.

"That girl has a gun, someone call the police!" A man's voice yells.

A look of fear comes to her face, and her leg snakes back, and suddenly I feel her foot impact my solar plexus.

"Get off of me!" She roughly shouts, knocking me on my ass.

I land on my ass as Akane gets to her feet. I look up at her, mouthing the word 'go' and she takes off, running around the corner and down the hall while students move aside to give the apparently 'crazy' girl with a gun a wide berth. I sit there and watch her go, watching as she rounds another corner and disappears from view.

_She's got 15 minutes before the cops show to hide somewhere and transform…_

* * *

Two hours later I sit in a meeting room in Seitetsu Academy. The cops came over an hour and a half ago, searched the school up and down and detained everyone involved in the 'incident.' As the one who put another person's gun to my own head, the officer's questions toward me revolved majorly around my sanity and whether or not I have a death wish. For 30 minutes I sat in front of the officer as he questioned me, listening to the same question repeated over and over in multiple forms…

_Are you a danger to yourself or others? That's what he was asking you. I wonder though, was there anything else I could've done to resolve that situation? Akane was going to shoot Shizuku, KILL her. I couldn't sit back and watch that happen, and if I hadn't done what I'd done, Akane may've just shot Shizuku anyway…_

Of course, when the officer asked me whether or not I knew the young woman, I blatantly and outright denied knowing who she was. When the cop asked me why she knew my name, and why she spoke like she knew me, I offered that maybe she was a stalker, because I'd never seen her before in my life…

The room I've been left in is a meeting room. A long oval wooden table sits in the middle of the rectangular room. Around the table are 14 rolling chairs. I currently sit at one of these chairs, my bag on the table in front of me. I have my hands on the table, completely bored out of mind with nothing to do other than wait…

The door latch clicks, and I spin my head toward the door to see a policeman in uniform open the door. I recognize the dark haired police officer as the man who interviewed me before. He holds a manila folder in his hands and he sits down across from me, putting his hands on the table he opens the folder before he looks across the table at me with a serious expression in his eyes and on his features.

"It's Seno-san, isn't it?"

I nod, keeping what I say to a minimum.

He looks down at the bracelet on my wrist, and then his eyes come back to my face.

"That's an interesting piece of jewelry you're wearing…" He says, glancing down to the bracelet and then back to me. "The girls that you were with are wearing the exact same bracelets, except theirs are red. Is that some new fashion you kids are into? Or maybe it's some kind of symbol?" He asks, spitting out ideas in an attempt to make conversation. "Do the red bracelets mean those girls are yours, and blue means you're their master? Or maybe it's the opposite, you're their sex slave and they tell you what to do…"

He just looks at me after that, gauging my reaction. I try to keep my face calm, in spite of the accusatory tone the cop is taking with me.

"They're nothing like that." I tell him. "Sango Shizuku is my girlfriend, and Kondo Mikoto is my childhood friend. We got these bracelets together when we went out shopping. They symbolize our friendship."

"Hmph…" He says in disbelief, his expression telling me that he doesn't buy the story for a second. "That's really convenient that you're saying that, because it's exactly what the two of them said when I asked them about it."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"So, how long have you been living alone Seno-san?" He asks, his tone showing his intent.

_He thinks I'm some kind of deviant or freak…_

"My parents are away lot because of my father's business." I tell him.

"Yes and just yesterday…" He begins, glancing down at the open folder. "There were multiple reports of gun shots near your home. You know anything about that?"

I haven't yet called the insurance company, and Akane's bullets flew a long way before they fell…

"No, though I did hear them. I thought there was some nutcase running around with a gun…"

He looks at me, the accusation in his voice completely open and confrontational.

"Listen kid, if you think you can get hide this gun nut by lying you're wrong. If you know something that's going to help us put this girl behind bars where she belongs then you need to say it."

I shrug my shoulders, leaning back in the chair.

"I said it once already; I've never seen that girl before in my life. For all I know, she's…" I begin, but the officer cuts me off.

"…a stalker, yeah, yeah, I know…" He says, waving his hand dismissively before he sighs in frustration. "All right, for now I'm ordering you to stay away from your home for the foreseeable future. You put a gun to your head and told the owner to shoot you, and it's possible that stalker will show up again. You **cannot** return to your house and give her the opportunity to try and kill you again. Fortunately for you your 'girlfriend' Sango Shizuku has offered to house you for the week. You'll be living with her for the time being until your parents return from wherever it is they are, am I clear?"

_I have to live with Shizuku now?_

My mouth drops open in disbelief.

"You mean…I can't go home again?" I ask, and the officer nods.

"That's right." He says, closing the folder and standing up. "You're excused from class for the rest of the day; I'll go inform Sango-san to come get you. She'll take you back to her home. Don't try and leave town until you're told you can, got it?"

I nod, slumping into the chair, feeling like I've had the wind knocked out of me…

_I can't go home…_

The cop leaves the room, and when Shizuku comes in five minutes later, she finds me still sitting in the chair, head hung in depression.

"Natsuru…?" She asks, and I look up, blinking the feelings away.

"What is it Shizuku?"

She takes a step toward me, reaching out and grabbing my chin, she holds my chin so that I'm looking directly into her eyes. Those eyes are now deathly serious.

"Shizuku?" I ask, suppressing a yelp.

"Natsuru, back there you put a gun to your head and taunted the one holding the trigger." She says matter of factly with anger in her voice. "When you did that, you scarred me Natsuru."

"Sorry…" I apologize, my eyes dropping down to the table. "I didn't know what else to do to try and stop her…"

"There were other options Natsuru." She says matter of factly, her anger at me still very apparent. "Options that didn't involve you putting a gun to your temple and risking your life."

"I didn't know what else to do. There were so many witnesses. If either you or Mikoto transformed and suddenly had weapons it would be hard to explain."

"I would rather have to explain how a pair of daggers suddenly appeared in my hands then deal with watching you get your brains blown out."

"I'm sorry Shizuku." I apologize with defeat in my voice. "I don't want to die I just don't want to see you hurt because of me…"

I look up to see she's still angry.

"Don't do it again Natsuru." She says in a no nonsense tone of voice. "Promise me you'll never do something like that again, or we're over."

_She'd break up with me for trying to protect her?_

"I won't watch someone I love put themselves in a situation like that." She continues matter of factly. "I know you were trying to protect me, but I won't stand for putting your life in danger."

"I understand…" I respond, still sounding beaten. "I promise I won't put my life in danger again."

She smiles, nodding she removes her hand from my chin, taking a step back.

"All right then Natsuru. Now, let's go." She says, motioning toward the door.

"I can't go home Shizuku…" I tell her, and she smiles reassuringly.

She walks to me, putting a gentle hand on my right arm.

"It's all right, I'll help you, and you can stay with me, it'll be all right." She says reassuringly.

"Thank you…" I say before grabbing my things, standing up.

"Let's go Natsuru." She says, gently pushing me toward the door.

"Yeah, let's go." I agree with her.

* * *

10 minutes later we're on our way back to her house. She walks next to me on my right, choosing not to hold onto my arm, somehow understanding that I just need some time to accept the hand that I've been dealt.

_Well, at least I won't have to speak to that annoying little talking plushie again…_

_ That_thought brings a smile to my face, and I hear Shizuku giggle, and I glance to see her looking at me with scrutiny in her eyes, a smile on her face.

"What?" I ask, blushing in embarrassment. "Is there something on my face?" I ask, blindly feeling at my face with my hand.

"No, no…" She says with a light laugh before she shakes her head and pulls my hand down. "I was just thinking that it's nice to see you smile, even after everything that's just happened."

"I…I was just thinking that I won't have to talk to Disemboweled Tiger for a while, since I can't go back to my home." I explain for her. "By the way…where's your messenger? Electrocuted Lynx wasn't it?" I ask.

She smiles.

"I put it in the closet and left it there, she normally lives in my room, so when I knew you'd be staying the night I locked her up." She says nonchalantly.

"It lets you get away with stuff like that?"

"Of course." She says matter of factly. "It's only a talking doll…"

"I guess, though mine didn't seem to be happy unless it was annoying me or laughing at my misfortune because of what happened to the female me…"

An uncomfortable expression settles onto Shizuku's features.

"Natsuru, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure…" I answer without thinking. "What is it?"

"I don't want you to transform unless you really have to. I don't like your other form…"

_She doesn't like my female form? Is it because it reminds her of Sakura-san and what could've happened?_

"All right, though if Sakura-san has really disappeared and given up, then I doubt that I'll need to transform again."

A look of resolution comes to her face.

"Kaede isn't gone, and she hasn't given up." She says matter of factly. "She'll come back, and I'm afraid that she'll do anything to get to your female form Natsuru…"

"Don't worry Shizuku." I tell her, giving her an uneasy smile. "I'm over her, no matter what she does or how she tries, I'll never feel for her like I do for you."

_That's all gone now, now the only thing I feel for her is bitterness and hate…_


	4. Chapter 4

(Well, here's Chapter 4. I hope you folks enjoy the Chapter. It didn't take me long to write it, and snow has bombarded the east coast so I've got a lot of time to write. I recently got into Borderlands, and BioShock 2 is coming out tomorrow, so we'll see how much of time that takes up. Anyway, leave a review if you feel so inclined.)

Chapter 4

Entering into Shizuku's house, I sigh as she closes the door behind me.

"Are you sure your parents are going to be okay with me staying with you while they're gone?" I ask for the 10th time since we left Seitetsu Academy.

"For the 10th time Natsuru, everything will be fine." She says dismissively. "For now, we're going to go shopping, so go change into what you were wearing yesterday and I'll change as well."

I cock my head to the side in questioning.

"Shopping?" I ask curiously. "You need me to carry something for you?"

She shakes her head, sighing in exasperation.

"You have two sets of clothing here Natsuru, and you'll be living here for the foreseeable future…" She explains for me. "We're going to get you some clothes. I already requested some uniforms in your size from the school."

"You know what size my school uniform is?" I ask, and Shizuku grins.

"I looked at your uniform before we went to bed." She says matter of factly.

"Were you expecting something like this to happen?"

"No, I just wanted to know what your clothing size was, so if I wanted to buy you clothes I knew what size to buy."

"You could've just asked…"

"What would've been the fun in that?" She asks, sticking her tongue out playfully.

"I'm going to go change now…" I inform her, starting up the steps and heading for her room.

_I'm not going into her room because I'm a pervert._ I tell myself. _I just don't know who these other rooms belong to, and she might need to use the bathroom…_

Going into her room I close the door behind me before I start taking off my uniform, making sure to fold it neatly before I set it on her bed. Opening the overnight bag that I've carried around all day, I grab the black t shirt and jeans I wore on Sunday and lay them out on the bed.

As if on cue the door opens, and I spin my head around like an owl to see Shizuku enter into the room, her sash already untied and the top 3 buttons of her blouse open, giving me a rather nice view of her cleavage…

_SCHWING!_

"Shizuku!" I yelp in surprise. I immediately spin my head around, putting my back to her. "I didn't think you'd want to change with me in the room!"

"Why not?" She asks in a curious tone. "We've both seen each other naked, what do you have to hide from me?"

_You can't deny the logic in that… She's seen you completely naked, so why bother hiding your body from her, especially if she _wants_ to see it?_

I shake my head, pushing the thoughts aside.

"Anyway…" I begin, pulling the pants on. "I'll let you get changed." I say, grabbing the shirt and sidestepping so I keep my back to the door, when I feel her hand on my left shoulder, pulling me to a stop.

"Natsuru…are you embarrassed to look at me?"

"Well... I…" I stutter. "I mean…" I stumble over my words.

"Natsuru, you do find me attractive, don't you?"

"Of course!" I spin around, facing Shizuku with absolute seriousness on my face only to see her uniform open, her bra and stomach in full view.

"Good…" She says, taking a step forward and wrapping her arms around my neck, the sleeves of her uniform the only clothing she's wearing on her upper body. "I want you to look at me, and not at any other girls."

"I won't look at other girls Shizuku." I assuage her, giving her a quick kiss. "If I'm hesitant, it's just because I don't want our relationship to go too far, too fast."

Shizuku smiles, her head drifting closer to mine, and I can smell the ginger smell coming from her.

"I'm glad to know that you're taking our relationship seriously Natsuru…" She says with a genuine smile. "It's reassuring that you don't think of me as just some fling…"

_Did she really think I'd think of her like that?_

"I could never think of you as just a fling Shizu-chan." I smile at her, giving her a cute nickname.

She blinks in surprise, looking away to try to hide it but and I see her blush in embarrassment at my new nickname for her.

"Something wrong Shizu-chan?"

"Natsu-kun…" She mutters, and I blink in surprise.

"_Madam President_, you really should get changed." I say, emphasizing the title.

Shizuku scowls at me in obvious anger.

"Relax Shizu-chan!" I say, smiling in embarrassment.

She seems to relax somewhat, and she gently slides her hands from my shoulders.

"You're right though." She agrees.

Taking a step back, she shucks off her blouse and throws it aside before she undoes her skirt, allowing it to fall.

I swallow the saliva in my throat, still turned on by her near naked form and the lingerie she's wearing. I quickly pull on the shirt, eager for a momentary distraction as Shizuku smiles playfully at me before she walks to her closet. Opening the closet, she grabs a sleeveless strapless light purple blouse along with a black mini skirt. I watch with a mix of arousal and curiosity as she removes the bra she was wearing with her school uniform and dons the new garment without putting on a bra. Once she's got the blouse on, she looks at me with a playful grin on her face.

"Want to help me, or would you rather just stand there gawking?"

In that moment I'm struck by brilliance in one of the few and a rare flash of brilliance a man gets in his life.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I speak without missing a beat.

"Nah, I'd rather stand here and watch." I say with a grin and Shizuku smiles at my comeback.

"I didn't know you enjoyed watching so much…" She playfully retorts, and I sigh, all out of brilliance.

"Aren't you going to wear a bra?" I ask, changing the subject. "Not that I really mind you going without a bra, but other guys will notice, and…"

"Are you jealous that other people will be looking at me jiggle?"

My face turns a deep crimson.

"Well…yeah…" I mutter in embarrassment, scratching the back of my head.

"Well, you don't have to worry." She says, pulling on the skirt and fastening it. "This blouse has a built in bra, so I won't bounce around."

"That's a relief…"

She walks up to me, still wearing that playful smile.

"Shall we go Natsu-kun?"

"Yeah."

* * *

20 minutes later we're in a local clothing store, and I can't help but feel like a means to an end…

"Try this on Natsu-kun!" Shizuku says, holding up yet another shirt by the hanger for me to try on.

"Shizuku, this is the 11th one…" I remind her, taking the shirt on the hanger from her.

"This one will be so cute, I promise!" She insists, and I sigh, starting toward the dressing rooms.

Finding an open dressing room, I go inside and shuck the t shirt I wore into the store before I unbutton the shirt Shizuku picked out, taking time to actually look at it. It's black, and there are white Chinese dragons printed on it that appear to be staring one another down, their bodies wrapping around the shirt.

_If she thinks it'll look good…_

Pulling the shirt on, I take my time buttoning it to make sure I get the buttons right, finishing with the collar and making sure it's folded all the way around before I look at myself in the mirror in the dressing room.

_Well, it doesn't look bad, and the design is kind of cool…_

As if on cue, there's a knock at the dressing room door.

"Natsu-kun, have you changed?" Shizuku asks from the other side of the dressing room door.

"Yeah, just a sec." I call out to her.

Opening the dressing room door slowly, I step out, and Shizuku smiles appreciatively seeing me in the somewhat formal shirt.

"So…?" I ask, seeing her opinion.

"_I_ like it, what's important is do _you_ like it?"

"Well yeah, it's comfortable, and the design's kinda cool."

She smiles.

"Good, then go get changed, we'll be buying it."

* * *

An hour and a half later we're walking back to her house, and I'm burdened by two full bags of clothes in both hands. Shizuku walks 2 steps in front of me, and I can't help but be a little happy that the shopping trip is over.

Shizuku suddenly stops, and she practically jumps to the moon in surprise. The street we're on isn't crowded, but it is a public place, and there are a lot of witnesses.

"Shizuku…?" I ask curiously, and I glance past her, and suddenly I know why she's stopped, and why she jumped…

_Sakura…_

The auburn haired Seitetsu Beauty walks down the street toward us. She's wearing casual clothes, a black mini skirt with high stockings and tennis shoes and a light green sleeveless blouse with pink trim.

The white Kampfers are nowhere to be seen, and Sakura _looks_ like her normal, innocent self...

"Oh Shizuku-chan! What're you doing here?" She asks curiously, walking up to where Shizuku stands.

Shizuku sidesteps, putting herself between Sakura and me.

"Is that?" Sakura asks curiously, her head poking around Shizuku's form. "You're out with Natsuru-san?"

_What's going on? She's acting like nothing happened, like she never tried to take control of my mind and turn me against Shizuku and the others…_

"Shizuku-chan?" She asks curiously, looking at my girlfriend.

"Kaede, what do you want?" Shizuku asks with open hostility in her voice.

Sakura looks surprised.

"Shizuku-chan, are you mad at me for some reason?" She asks with confusion in her voice.

_What in the world is this? Don't tell me she's going to claim amnesia?_

"You think I'm just going to forget what you and your flunkies did Kaede?" Shizuku asks with venom in her voice.

Sakura, for own part looks completely and utterly shocked and surprised.

"Flunkies? Shizuku-chan, what're you talking about!?" Sakura continues.

_I'll give her this much, she's a really good actress, if I didn't know better I'd say she really didn't know what we were talking about…_

"Don't lie to me Kaede!" Shizuku growls.

"Shizuku-chan… I don't know what you're talking about! I haven't done anything to you!"

I can _feel_ Shizuku's animosity toward Sakura.

"Don't lie to me Kaede! After what you did. As far as I'm concerned I don't ever want you to speak to me again!"

Sakura looks hurt, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Shizuku-chan, I'm sorry… for whatever I did, I'm sorry…" Sakura apologizes with tears her in eyes, but Shizuku doesn't buy it.

"Save it for someone who cares." Shizuku says coldly. "Let's go Natsuru."

"Yeah…" I agree, and Shizuku walks past Sakura, and I follow, doing everything I can to avoid looking at Sakura, out of fear that she'll hex me again.

"Natsuru-san?" Sakura pleads, and I stop in my tracks, Shizuku stopping and turning to look at me.

"Yes, Sakura-san?" I ask, intentionally keeping my back to her.

"Natsuru-san, do you hate me now too?"

I can feel Shizuku looking at me, awaiting my response.

"I loved you once Sakura-san, but that's behind me now." I tell her, keeping my voice level. "I've chosen Shizuku now, and after what you've done…"

"What are you two talking about?!" Sakura demands, her voice breaking. "You keep saying I've done something horrible, but I don't remember, I swear!"

"You're saying trying to make me kill Shizuku and the others isn't horrible!?" I demand from her. "You _used_ me, called me a disgusting pig and slapped me!"

"Wha…?" I hear her mutter, and I see Shizuku smile.

"Whatever you're playing Kaede, Natsuru and I aren't going along with it. We aren't going to fight in your proxy war, no matter what you do!"

"Proxy war?" Sakura continues, still confused. "What are you talking about? I don't know anything about any proxy war!"

"Just stop it Kaede!" Shizuku scolds her. "Stop pretending, we aren't falling for your tricks again."

"Shizuku-chan…"

"Don't call me that!" Shizuku snaps at her. "We ARE NOT friends!"

"Shizuku-chan…" Sakura mumbles.

"Let's go Shizu-chan." I say, smiling at my girlfriend. "We have better things to do, don't we?"

Shizuku smiles.

"You're right Natsu-kun." She says with a smile.

Together, the two of us walk away from Sakura, and I feel no pity or sorrow at her act.

_She deserves this, after what she did…_

Walking away, Shizuku smiles at me the entire time.

* * *

When we finally get back to her house, Shizuku leads me upstairs, and into a spare bedroom. The bedroom is furnished only with a bed and a desk. The walls are plain white and the floor is carpet. It looks exactly like what it is, a guest bedroom.

"When my parents are here, you'll sleep here, and you can use this closet to store your clothes."

"Thank you Shizuku."

Dropping the bags, I feel a weight lifted from my arms, and I'm glad to just be able to drop the heavy bags. It's then that Shizuku walks toward me, wrapping her arms around me with a smile on her face.

"I'm proud of you Natsu-kun."

"For what?"

"You stood by your choice, and when you saw Sakura-san you didn't wavier."

I smile at her.

"Were you really worried that much about her?" I ask, and she nods.

"For a time, she was all you thought about. I thought that I'd never have your affection, yet here you are…"

"I told you Shizu-chan…" I begin, still smiling. "Sakura is a thing of the past. I have no love for her anymore."

She kisses me then, a passionate kiss filled with her feelings for me.

"Promise me you won't let your guard down around her Natsuru." She says, and I nod.

"I promise. I won't fall for her deceptions ever again." I promise Shizuku.

"I don't trust her Natsuru. I'm really afraid that she's going to try and turn you into your Kampfer form again, to try and turn you against me." She admits. "I don't want you alone with her."

"I know Shizuku." I assuage her, stroking her hair. "She hates men, and she can't come to the male side of the school, so you don't have to worry."

"I hope so…" She says, leaning against me, holding me close. "If she did something to you, I'd never forgive myself Natsu-kun…"

"Don't worry so much Shizu-chan." I assuage her.

"Tomorrow I'm going to enact stricter protocols to separate the two sides." Shizuku says matter of factly.

I raise my eyebrows in questioning.

"Uh what else can you do to make it harder for someone to sneak across?" I ask. "The only place someone can cross through without setting off an alarm is the library…"

"I'll have a motion put before the student council to have the doors to the library remotely controlled, and if a librarian doesn't open it then they can't get through."

"What happens when someone wants to come in?"

"The doors will only be locked on the inside." She explains. "From the outside you'll be able to enter freely…"

"Do you really think that's necessary Shizu-chan?" I ask, and she nods.

"If it's to keep Sakura out of the male side, then it's all worth it."

"What if she becomes a librarian like Akane?"

"All librarians have to be approved by the student council, and I would never approve her becoming one."

"You really are worried about this aren't you?" I ask, and she nods.

"I want to protect you Natsu-chan, and now that we've seen her I don't doubt that she'll start coming to school again, and I don't believe for a second that she suddenly doesn't remember anything about Kampfers and the proxy war."

"It could be that the moderators made her forget because she failed to keep us fighting one another." I offer, and Shizuku shakes her head.

"If that were true, and we were no longer involved, we wouldn't have these contract bracelets or messengers anymore."

"I guess…"

My stomach chooses then to growl, and Shizuku giggles.

"We didn't eat lunch before we left, so I guess it's about time I made something." She says, stepping back away from me.

"Didn't you make a bento for school?" I ask. "I'll just eat some of that, if you don't mind."

"Nonsense." She says, waving her hand dismissively. "I'll make something for a late lunch, and we'll eat dinner a little later."

"Can I help?" I ask. "I mean, I feel guilty having you make my food for me."

To be honest, saying I feel guilty is only half the reason I'm offering to help her. While society says that a woman should take care of a man, I've always been more forward thinking then that, and I don't think its right for a man to burden a woman. Plus I've been living on my own for years, and I've become quite a descent cook.

Shizuku smiles at my willingness to assist her in the kitchen.

"Sure, if you like."

"Lead the way…"

* * *

An hour and a half later Shizuku and I are lying on the sofa. I lie underneath her while she has her back against my lap. We're both enjoying just being together, and I can honestly say that I'm not aroused, even though I have a primo view of her cleavage in the backless blouse…

Settling in, I set my gaze on the big screen, trying actively not to look at Shizuku, now not just my girlfriend but my room mate…

_Or am I just a border in her house? We haven't discussed me paying anything to live here, and my folks give me an allowance so I can afford food and clothes, so maybe I could give her something for room and board…_

"Shizu-chan…" I begin, and she glances up, her head lying on its side against my chest, facing the TV.

"Yes Natsu-kun?"

"I was thinking about my living here, do you want me to give you rent money?" I ask, and she shakes her head no.

"You don't have to do that." She explains for me. "You didn't choose to come live here, so I'd feel bad taking money from you."

"Yeah, but if you hadn't offered to take me in, I'd be out on the streets or in a foster family…"

Shizuku shakes her head, settling her head back into my chest.

"Kondo-san or Mishima-san would eagerly volunteer to take you in if I hadn't." She explains. "The police officer actually asked both Mishima-san and me at the same time if we knew someone you could live with, and both of us volunteered, but I…talked…Mishima-san out of it." She says, smiling _that_ smile.

_I can imagine that conversation, and why that cop was so hostile toward me. If both of them volunteered to take me in and they had a fight over it I probably look like some kind of player with 2 girlfriends…_

"Well, I'm glad you were the one to take me in." I tell her, squeezing her gently. "Though in hindsight, I have to admit I'm glad that I was chosen to be a Kampfer."

She looks up at me with a skeptical expression on her face.

"You're glad you were chosen?" She asks, and I nod.

"Yeah, because of my being a Kampfer I met you and Mishima-san, so I'm glad."

"That's sweet Natsu-kun."

As if on cue, the doorbell rings, and Shizuku sighs, standing up and smoothing her skirt before she pulls up on her blouse, making sure she doesn't pop out of her top.

"I'll answer it." She says flatly, and then walks toward the door, an air of annoyance at having our time together interrupted around her.

She stops at the door, pasting on a fake smile she opens the door, and the smile drops.

"Mishima-san, Kondo-san, a pleasure to see you." She says with false welcoming in her voice.

_Oh crap…_

Mikoto practically pushes her way inside, Shizuku stepping back to allow my childhood friend access to her home with Akane close behind. Mikoto looks around in panic, and her eyes lock on to me like a hawk spotting its prey. Akane is thankfully in her normal form, and blushes in embarrassment as Mikoto runs toward me, practically tackling me to the floor in a hug.

"Natsuru!" She yells out as she glomps onto me. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine…" I manage to breathe out in spite of Mikoto's vice like grip around my ribs.

"I was so worried about you when I heard you'd been sent home!" Mikoto continues, oblivious to my discomfort.

"Kondo-san…" Shizuku begins, and I look to see her and Akane standing in the archway, blushing tremendously in embarrassment.

"Oh! Right!" Mikoto quickly remembers, releasing me from her embrace and stepping back a step. "I'm glad you're feeling okay Natsuru."

"Thanks Mikoto…" I breathlessly speak, breathing a sigh to be able to breathe normally again.

"Natsuru-san…" Akane begins in what can only be described as an embarrassed tone. "I'm sorry for earlier. I don't know what came over me…"

I look away from her, more than a little upset with the bespectacled librarian.

"Thanks to you I can't go back to my house, and the police think I'm suicidal." I tell her matter of factly.

"I know…" She answers with guilt in her tone. "I heard everything from Kondo-san afterward…"

"Well, I appreciate your apology, but when my parents come back I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do, and I doubt that cop is done sniffing around."

"Sorry…" She apologizes again.

"Natsuru, blaming Mishima-san won't solve anything." Shizuku reminds me. "For the time being you can live with me, and we'll deal with your parent's return when it happens."

"I guess…" I agree.

"I want to talk about your living arrangements Natsuru." Mikoto says.

_Oh no…_

"Let me guess…" I begin. "You want me to come live with you, rather than Shizuku."

Mikoto nods empathically.

"Yes! That's exactly it!" She adamantly agrees. "You and I have known each other forever and you've been in my house a lot, and I'm your neighbor!"

"That; and you might have to leave to go off on one of your archaeology trips sometime soon, and then I'm back to square one." I argue.

"I can't go anywhere Natsuru!" She says, holding up her right wrist with her contract bracelet on it. "Now that I've got this thing on my wrist I can't leave. If I were I'm sure those white Kampfers would find me and try to kill me!"

"You could come live with me…" Akane shyly speaks up. "I could talk to my parents, and I'm sure they'd let you stay in our guest room."

I shake my head slowly.

"I'm not going to impose on you Akane." I tell her. "Besides, it would really hard to explain why I'm there, and I'm sure your parents would watch me like a hawk."

"But I don't want you living with the Madam President!" Mikoto protests.

"Why, because you're afraid that Natsuru and I will consummate our love?" Shizuku asks with a grin.

Akane blushes deep red, and Mikoto's cheeks tinge red as well.

"We're still in high school! You want to have a baby Shizuku?" Mikoto demands.

"And you're telling me that you'd say no if Natsuru said he loved you and wanted to take you to bed?"

Mikoto's face turns red.

"Uh, well, uh…" She trails, and Shizuku knowingly smiles.

"Exactly." Shizuku says with a smile. "You have no room to talk Kondo-san, so don't presume to lecture me."

"I…I apologize Madam President…" Mikoto apologizes.

"Good. Now that that's settled…" She begins, turning toward me. "We ran into Sakura this afternoon."

"Sakura-san?" Akane asks, and Mikoto looks at me with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Yes. We ran into Kaede and she acted like she didn't know anything about Kampfers or the Moderators or the Proxy War." Shizuku explains.

"Amnesia maybe?" Akane asks, and Shizuku shakes her head.

"I doubt it." Shizuku says matter of factly. "It can't be that she just suddenly forgot everything. She was the one choosing Kampfers and manipulating this war from behind the scenes. Plus she knew the reasons why we were pitted against one another. I don't believe for one second that she's just forgot everything."

Both and Akane and Mikoto looks at one another.

"Well, she wasn't at school today. Maybe she's not going to attend school anymore?" Mikoto offers and Shizuku shrugs her shoulders.

"No matter what I wouldn't trust her, whether or not she returns to school doesn't matter." Shizuku explains. "We have to stand united against her. If even one of us is turned against the others we'll be in serious trouble."

I nod in agreement along with Mikoto and Akane.

"So, what should we do?" Akane asks, and Shizuku shrugs her shoulders.

"Before her target was Natsuru, and in order to keep her away from him I've had the female Natsuru transferred out from the student roster." Shizuku explains. "And since he'll be living with me it'll be that much harder for her to sink her fangs into him."

"Do you think she'll come after either Kondo-san or me?" Akane asks.

Shizuku shrugs her shoulders again.

"I can't honestly say." Shizuku responds with uncertainty in her voice. "The only thing I can say is to be on your toes around her, and don't look into her eyes, that's how she hypnotized Natsuru."

"Right…" Mikoto says in understanding. "What if she's really forgotten all about the Kampfers?"

"Then why are we still wearing these bracelets?" Shizuku asks. "If the Moderators really stopped this Proxy War then we wouldn't be wearing these bracelets anymore." Shizuku explains.

"Maybe another Moderator will take her place." Akane offers. "If Sakura-san failed then maybe another Moderator will come in and try to make us fight."

"Or maybe she'll get more white Kampfers?" I offer, and Shizuku shakes her head.

"No matter what, we have to be vigilant. Everyone just be on your toes." She says to Akane and Mikoto, then turning to me she continues. "Natsuru, don't transform into your Kampfer form unless you absolutely have to, OK?"

I nod my understanding.

"I got it Shizuku." I answer.

Little did I know that Moderators weren't done with the 4 of us, and that our struggles against them were far from over…


	5. Chapter 5

(Well, here's Chapter 5 of Star Crossed Lovers. This one's a bit longer than the others, and Sakura gets some screen time in this one, as well as Natsuru's Female Form. Natsuru's female form will be getting screen time from now on, but I can't promise any kind of ratio. While I have a general idea where I want this story to go and how to resolve the conflict of the Proxy War I have no idea as to the details, so I can't make any promises. Anyway, enjoy the chap. More notes after the chap.)

Chapter 5

That night, Akane and Mikoto want to sleep over, but Shizuku adamantly shoots down their requests. At first they argue that she only wants to try and have sex with me, but I back Shizuku up, saying that the two of us are only going to sleep next to one another, nothing more.

Around 11 PM both Akane and Mikoto leave reluctantly. Shizuku practically has to push them out the door, though they do leave, and once they're gone I yawn tiredly, knowing that I'll have to get up in around 7 hours.

"I'm gonna go to sleep." I tell her, and she smiles.

"Me too." Shizuku agrees.

Somehow the two of us manage to change into our bed clothes and lie down on Shizuku's bed. I feel her hand touch my right arm, and I look to see her lying on her back like me, smiling at me with the blanket pulled up to her shoulders.

"Good night Natsu-kun." Shizuku says with a smile, and I return the expression.

"Good night Shizu-chan."

* * *

The next morning, an alarm jerks me from slumber, the mechanical bleating of the alarm pulling me to consciousness. I open my eyes to see Shizuku lying next to me, her hair hanging around her as she looks at me.

"Good morning Natsu-kun." She says with a smile.

"Morning Shizu-chan." I smile back.

She sits up, still wearing her racy nightgown while I'm still wearing my boxers. Unlike the previous morning I don't freak out at sleeping next to the beautiful girl. Stifling a yawn, I look toward the bathroom.

"Showering together?" I ask, and Shizuku smiles.

"You like showering with me?" She asks playfully, that sly smile on her face.

I quickly blush in embarrassment.

"Well, it is does save a lot of time…" I mutter, looking away in embarrassment.

She keeps smiling, touching my left cheek with her hand.

"It's OK to admit that you like seeing me naked Natsu-kun, I don't mind..." She explains to me. "It makes me happy to know that you think I'm attractive."

"You've very beautiful Shizuku!" I adamantly declare.

Shizuku giggles playfully.

"Thank you Natsu-kun." She still smiles. "Let's go shower together."

"Sure Shizu-chan."

* * *

Somehow I manage to shower with Shizuku without pushing her against the wall and losing my virginity…

_It was hard, literally _and _figuratively_._ The good news is I'm getting better at controlling myself. I managed to keep from being hard as rock today. A few more weeks and I'll be able to stay flaccid._

Now though, Shizuku and I walk together to school. Walking together we hold hands, looking like a high school couple, save for the fact that Shizuku wears a red contract bracelet and I wear a blue one. Though, that could be explained easily enough.

_Fortunately Shizuku lives in a different direction then Sakura and me, so I don't have to worry about running into her on the way to school. As long as I stay in my male form and don't transform and go into the girl's side I should be all right._

"Natsu-kun?" Shizuku speaks, pulling me from my thoughts.

I blink, glancing toward her.

"What's up Shizu-chan?"

"You looked like you were thinking about something. Is something on your mind?"

"Nah." I answer, shaking my head. "You know me, empty headed as usual." I tell her, lightly knocking on the left side of my head with my left hand.

"That's what I like about you." She says sarcastically with a giggle.

"Shizu-chan…" I murmur, and she looks at me seriously, smiling at me.

"Don't worry Natsu-kun." She assuages me. "I like everything about you, though I am glad to see you acting like you've got something between your ears."

"So you thought I was empty headed before? Why would you like someone like that?"

"At first I thought you were cute, and making you attend school as a girl and watching you squirm was fun. Then, after a while I found myself looking forward to seeing you."

"Oh, okay." I answer, having some insight into the Seitetsu Beauty's feelings for me.

_Though in my female form people rank me on the same level as her. But that isn't really _me. _At least that's what I keep telling myself whenever the subject comes up. My Kampfer form isn't really me. I was born a man, and a man is what I should be, not a girl with a model's figure and the ability to fling fire. _

Walking to school in comfortable silence, we arrive at the entrance to the girl's side first, and both Mikoto and Akane are waiting. They don't say anything as the majority of the girl's side watches Shizuku and I as we stop at the entrance to the girl's side of the campus. We face one another, and I remember the conversation Shizuku and I had before leaving her home, what we both promised to do before going to our separate classes.

"You still want to do that?" I whisper, and Shizuku smiles at me with a knowing smile.

As if in response to my question, her hand touches the back of my neck, pulling her face toward mine as our lips meet. The second after our lips touch I tilt my head to the side, opening my mouth as she opens hers, our tongues intertwining and dancing as we kiss. After 10 seconds our lips part and I look down at her to see her smiling up at me.

"That should be proof of our relationship. Don't you think _Natsu-kun_?" She asks, emphasizing my nickname.

"That's right, _Shizu-chan._" I respond, like her I emphasize her nickname.

"Well, I'll see you at lunch then." She says with a smile, and I nod.

"See you at lunch Shizu-chan."

With a smile the two of us part, waving to each other as most of the girls in the general area look on stunned. The only two who aren't fazed by the show of affection are Mikoto and Akane. Mikoto just shakes her head in disgust at the sight, while Akane's face turns crimson red.

_Glad I don't blush as easily as she does. Especially with Shizuku as my girlfriend. Showering with her my face would be tomato red every morning…_

Walking to my class, I can't believe how quickly word travels through the school. Even though Shizuku and I kissed in front of the girl's side entrance people are already talking about it on the boy's side.

_Rumor Mill High rather then Seitetsu Academy…_

Sitting down in my seat, I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Shizuku's groupies are probably going to want to skin me alive for 'defiling their goddess' when they learn about our little show.

_Guess asking them to be happy for me is asking too much. _

It's then that I look toward Higashida's seat, I find myself practically face to face with him.

_WHERETHEHELLDIDHECOMEFROM!?_

"Gah!" I jump in surprise, the chair tipping backward.

_Oh shit…_

CRACK! My head hits the wall, and I fall in an odd slump, my back sliding down the wall until I finally come to a stop at the floor.

_Ow…_

"Hmph! Serves you right for taking advantage of Shizuku-sama like that." He says with spite in his voice.

Wincing in pain, I look up at him.

"Higashida, come on, it isn't like that!" I try to argue, somehow managing to get to my feet and getting my chair back on its four legs.

"Oh really? What about your little 'display' this morning?" He asks. "You're telling me that Shizuku-sama wanted that?"

_If you only knew how perverted she really is you wouldn't doubt that for a second…_

"I would never force myself on her!"

He looks away, unwilling to accept what I've told him.

"Whatever man. I just wish that the female Seno Natsuru would come back and _you'd_ disappear. Then at least there would be a cute single girl to look at."

"What're you saying that to me for?" I ask, trying to avoid the fact that the female Natsuru and the male Natsuru have never come to school on the same day.

It's then that the teacher comes in, and with him the bulk of class.

"Take your seats, class is going to start!" The teacher orders the class.

_Finally, some semblance of peace…_

* * *

Like yesterday, said peace only lasts until the bell for the first break rings…

Within seconds of the bell ringing **both** doors of my classroom fly open, and outside stands an angry mob, foaming at the mouth with actual pitchforks and torches.

_Where the hell did they get those?_

"Get him!" One of Shizuku's groupies commands the others, and a war cry erupts from their throats like something out of a Greek war movie.

They rush into the room, both groups heading toward me like a swarm of angry bees. It would be so easy to simply change into my Kampfer form and use my zauber, but that's out of the question.

"Crap…" I mutter.

Spotting an opening in the tide of bodies, I quickly run for it before the opening closes. Fortunately for me the number of groupies is rather small, and apparently they never thought that I would get past them, because they don't have anyone posted at the doors.

_Their mistake, my saving grace!_

"Catch him!" A chorus of male voices sounds behind me.

"Fuck me…" I mutter, hitting the hall and taking off like the hounds of hell are at my feet.

_Why do I get the feeling that if Shizuku were around to hear me say that she'd say 'When and where?' _

I would find out later that on the other side of the campus, the Student Council President sneezes while speaking to the leader of the girl's Kendo club…

Running from the horde, I can hear them following me, their cry for my blood spurring me to run faster then I knew that I could.

_I have to lose them, but where and how?_

_ The Library! It's got lots of bookshelves and there will people there, I can disappear there and hopefully make my way back to my class and not be late…_

Decision made, I run for the library, half of me hoping that Akane isn't on duty.

5 minutes later I burst into the library, looking around for a crowd of people and finding only a few scattered people here and there among the bookshelves.

_SHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT! WHATAMIGONNADONOW?_

The idea hits me like a ton of my bricks, and with it a surge of calm.

_Transform! Just disappear into the bookshelves and transform! Her groupies are looking for the male you, _not_ the _female_ Seno Natsuru…_

Before I can even complete the thought I'm halfway to the bookshelves, and I quickly locate an aisle that's empty. Ducking down it I look down at my bracelet, closing my eyes I concentrate, and the bracelet gently glows.

The transformation is indescribable. Every time I feel the changes to my body as they happen. My head itches as my hair goes 4 times as long as it normally is. A weight forms out of nowhere as breasts grow in and my body changes into a model's figure, the bones and cartilage in my face shifting as my face takes on a feminine look. Fortunately all of this happens in a moment, and the discomfort is there in a flood and gone a moment later. With the discomfort gone I look down to thankfully find my school uniform has changed into a girl's uniform, and that my boxers changed into a pair of panties. Unfortunately, I'm not wearing a bra, so I can feel the material of my shirt…err…blouse against my breasts…

_Damn it, I hate this…_

As if on cue one of Shizuku's groupies appears at the end of the hall, and I force myself to look calm and collected.

"Hello." I smile at boy, waving politely.

_It still sends chills down my spine to hear myself speaking with a woman's voice…_

His eyes flicker around the aisle, and then he looks away.

"He isn't here!" He yells out, and moves on to the next aisle.

I breathe a low sigh of relief.

"It worked…" I mutter under my breath.

_Now I just have to get out of the library and back to class without being molested…_

Walking out of the aisle, I look around to see that I'm still relatively incognito, in spite of my female form's rather prestigious reputation. Walking toward the door to the boy's side, I reach for the door when I feel a flash of bloodlust.

"Where do you think you're going?" A familiar voice asks.

I turn around to see Akane standing there wearing her librarian's pass around her neck.

"Akane-san…" I greet her, and the girl wears a mischievous smile that I'm used to seeing on Shizuku…

_Not good…_

"Oh _Natsuru-chan _I didn't see you in class this morning!" Akane speaks aloud, emphasizing the feminine honorific attached to my name.

Like bees to honey nearly every other female student in the library, and most of the male students save for those wearing Shizuku headbands turn toward us.

"Whatever were you doing trying to sneak into the boy's side of the school?" Akane continues in her louder than necessary voice. "Were you trying to sneak in to see your boyfriend!?"

"Uh…" I mutter, caught red handed.

_With Shizuku's groupies trolling around I can't change back until I'm out of the library. She knows that, and yet here she is! Is she punishing me for choosing Shizuku instead of her? Is that what this is about?_

In the time it takes me to think that, nearly every female student in the library has forgotten whatever business they came here for and has formed _another_ mob of people, this mob surrounding me and keeping me from slipping away.

"Natsuru-san! Be my sacred sister!"

"Natsuru-san!"

"Natsuru-san!"

"Natsuru-san!"

The girls all fight for my attention, and I glance to Akane, seeing her grinning at my situation, enjoying every second of my plight as if to say 'that's what you get.'

* * *

When the bell rings a few minutes later warning that morning break is almost over, I'm dragged (literally) back to class by some female students who happened to be in the library in spite of my protests that I don't have my bag or any of my books.

Walking into the class, I'm a defeated and broken man…err…girl…err…person!

"Oh Natsuru-san!" The teacher says in surprise. "Did you just arrive? You weren't on my attendance sheet for today."

"I had a family emergency and I was late, I'm sorry." I apologize.

The second my apology is over; the girls of the class surround me.

"Natsuru-san!" A chorus assaults my ears.

"Uh…" I mutter, looking around at the impromptu mob.

"Everyone to your seats!" An authoritative voice shouts above the mob.

Breathing a sigh of relief I recognize the bespectacled class president, the treasurer and the vice president at her side as always.

"Buy this magic carpet." The treasurer pitches. "It'll take you as far as it'll take you."

_Right…_

After that the class takes their seats, and the class president shares her supplies with me, though I can hardly concentrate, feeling the googily eyes of nearly every student in the all girl class…

_Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this?_

* * *

When the bell signaling the end of morning classes rings, my head falls forward, my forehead smacking the desk with an audible crack.

I don't say anything, or even respond to the pain that shoots through my body, emanating from my forehead. I'm content to merely sit there with my eyes closed, though I _know _that won't be the case.

"Natsuru-san eat lunch with me!" A student asks.

"No!" A second voice cries out. "Natsuru-san is going to eat lunch with me!"

"She is not!" A third denies. "She's going to eat lunch with me! She's _my_ sacred sister!"

Before long a mob forms, fighting amongst themselves while I sit there, motionless.

"Hold it!" The class president yells above the group, quieting them. "It's 200¥ to eat lunch with Natsuru-san! Do I have a taker?"

And so the auction begins.

"Me!" One voice yells.

"Do I hear 300?"

"Here!" A third calls out.

And so it goes for five minutes, the price skyrocketing.

"4000¥ going once, going twice…" The president pauses, smiling evilly as she looks around one last time.

"Seno Natsuru please report to the Student Council President's Office." A woman's voice comes over the school's PA. "Seno Natsuru please report to the Student Council President's Office." The message repeats.

I sit up wearily at that, getting up from the desk to leave.

"Awwwwwww…" The students who were in a bidding war chorus, and the President scoffs, cheated out of 4000¥ by Shizuku.

"I have to go." I say with a smile.

"Just go." The Class President says with a wave of her hand, and the mob parts, allowing me egress from my desk.

As I walk past Akane's desk I see her sitting there eating a bento, a less than pleased expression on her face.

_She's probably pissed Shizuku had a hand in getting me away from my fan club…_

I don't say anything as I walk past her, though I do make a decision.

_Next time I see her in private I'm going to call off our friendship. If she's going to act like this toward me she isn't my friend…_

Walking to the elevator to the Student Council President's office I'm relaxed for the first time since transforming in the library.

_Sakura didn't show up, and so far no one has shot at, stabbed or flung magic at me. _

The elevator ride is calming, and when the doors open they open into Shizuku's office, my girlfriend sitting behind her desk in the rather large room with her fingers steepled.

"Come in, Natsuru-san." She says with an even lit.

"Yes!" I quickly answer.

Walking into the room, Shizuku bids for me to sit at one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"Please, have a seat."

"Sure…" I answer, somewhat more relaxed.

Sitting down Shizuku's eyes follow me, and I get the general impression that she isn't happy with me, her hands still steepled in front of her face. Once I sit silence comes over the room, and I look around the bare room, wondering when she's going to speak, and she doesn't. Instead she sits there watching me squirm, and after a minute I open my mouth.

"Madam President, did I do something wrong?" I ask, referring to her formally since I'm in this body, which she has openly said she doesn't like.

"In a manner of speaking…" She answers, and I blink in questioning. "I thought I told you to call me Shizuku, Natsuru."

I blink in surprise.

"Uh, well, since I'm in this form…" I mutter, and Shizuku reaches down below the desk, cutting me off.

I wait for her hand to become visible, and when it does I see her holding a boxed lunch with chopsticks wrapped to it.

"I forgot to give you this earlier." She says, sliding the bento toward me. "You don't have anything to eat, right?"

"No…" I answer, looking down at the lunch and then back to her.

"What're you waiting for? Lunch will be over soon, you should eat." She says, producing another bento and opening it.

Doing the same I see that it's steamed rice with some mixed vegetables and beef.

"Itadakimasu!" I say in appreciation.

Digging in I find the lunch is good, and I quickly demolish it, all the running combined with dealing with my situation making me very hungry. As I eat, Shizuku looks at me from across the desk.

"My fan club chased you again?" She asks with a knowing tone.

I nod, swallowing a mouthful of rice.

"Yes, that's why I had to transform." I tell her, keeping my voice low and glancing down at my rather large breasts. "If I didn't they would've kept looking for me until they skinned me alive."

"I'm sorry Natsuru." Shizuku apologizes. "I'll talk to them about what they're doing."

I shake my head, taking another bite and swallowing it before I speak.

"I don't think it will work. They want to skin me alive because they think we've had sex and I've defiled you somehow."

"You're my boyfriend, how could you defile me?"

I shrug my shoulders.

"I guess they think my taking your virginity would be defiling your purity."

She shakes her head, taking another bite of her lunch.

"Where do these people come from? I never asked for them to start a fan club for me…"

"You think I asked for a fan club either?" I retort. "This form has a fan club with both men and women in it. At least your fan club is mostly men."

A silence falls over the two of us, and we both eat for two minutes before Shizuku speaks.

"Natsuru…" She pauses, as if searching for the words to articulate her thoughts. "Do you like being in that form?"

"No." I flat out deny. "I hate being like this. Girls stalk me and I'm worried that Sakura is going to try something. There's nothing I want more than to get out of this body and back into my male form."

She smiles at me, a real happy smile.

"I'm really glad to hear that Natsuru." She explains for me. "Every time I see you like that I think that maybe you'll decide to embrace that form…"

I shake my head no.

"If I did that, you, Mikoto and Mishima-san would all be killed by the white Kampfers, I couldn't do that."

She quirks an eyebrow when I say 'Mishima-san.'

"Did something happen between you and Akane Natsuru?" She asks, and I sigh, my head falling forward so I stare straight down.

"She stopped me from trying to get back to the boy's side while I was still like this, and she enjoyed watching me squirm while I was surrounded by other girls who are after this me." I explain for her. "I think she's mad that I chose you and not her, and if she can't accept that then I don't want to be friends with her."

She sighs in frustration.

"Just after we all agreed to stand together, now this happens…" She murmurs.

"You think Sakura-san got to them?" I ask with alarm in my voice.

"I don't know." She says with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's possible, we aren't together 24/7 and it never occurred to us that Sakura might try to come after one of us instead of you."

I finish what's left of the lunch box, rewrapping it and tying the chopsticks to the box.

"I hope that isn't the case. If any of you got turned against me, and I had to fight you…"

Shizuku nods knowingly.

"I know what you mean." She tells me and its then that the warning bell rings. "Crap, we both have to get back…"

I nod, standing up.

"I'll wait for you after school so we can walk home together." Shizuku says as I head for the door.

"Are you sure that's smart?" I ask. "If people this form and you hanging out together…" I trail.

_The rumors will fly all by themselves…_

"I don't care. I'm more worried about you then I am about starting rumors."

"I guess." I answer, leaving the office and heading back to class.

* * *

'Class' if you can call it that, goes without incident. However the entire time I feel the eyes of the class locked onto me, and unlike when the boys hated me for dating Shizuku, these gazes are loved filled, and send shivers down my spine.

_Okay, I know I make a sexy bitch, but_ really?_ I mean, how can other girls think I'm that attractive like this? Are all the girls that go to this school lesbian?_

Class finally ends, and the second the teacher dismisses us I'm ready to stand and leave, except the Class President, Vice President and Treasurer are at my desk like they're shot out of a cannon.

"Natsuru-san…" The President begins, and I blink in surprise.

"Yes? Do you need something Class President?"

The girl smiles devilishly.

"Actually yes. I do need something from you." She says, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end in terror.

"What is it?" I ask, barely keeping the sudden terror out of my voice.

"The school is having a special dance in 2 weeks…" The President begins. "As the most popular girl in the class you must attend."

"A dance? I haven't heard anything about it…"

The Class President smiles.

"The Student Council President recently put forth a motion to have what's referred to in America as a Sadie Hawkins, or Turnabout dance at the school, where the girls ask the person they want to go the dance, rather than the boy choosing."

_A dance where girls ask guys to go? What's so big about that? Unless…_

"Is it limited to girls asking guys to attend?" I ask, and the Class President's smile gets wider, the light reflecting off of her glasses in an ominous way.

"Of course not!" She confirms for me. "Since you're sure to get _so_ many invitations I got the entire class together and we collected several different dresses you could wear to the dance, free of charge of course."

"Um, what if I don't want to go?" I squeak, and I feel bloodlust from nearly every girl in the class.

"What was that?" The Class President asks sarcastically, her expression telling me that she damn well heard me, but won't stand for it.

"Uh, nothing, nothing!" I quickly and adamantly agree in fear for my own health if I don't.

"Good! Then come right this way! We already have a changing area and all the dresses ready for you."

* * *

_When they said they brought several different dresses together, they meant it…_

The room the Class President led me to is an empty classroom, save for a small changing area that's curtained off against the left wall. Against the other walls are clothing racks, and on those racks are evening gowns, a _lot_ of them.

Looking around, taking all of it in, a sudden realization hits me.

_There has to be 30 of them, and they're all sexy! Each one of these dresses is low cut and shows off my body! They want to parade me around like a hooker!_

I turn around to the Class President, both the Treasurer and the Vice President with her, the rest of the class save Akane somehow packed into the room, all of them awaiting my choice.

_Akane must've had librarian duties today or maybe she's intentionally avoiding me now after what happened earlier. Either way I can't say I'm all that displeased that she isn't here…_

"I can't wear any of these. They're…"

"What's wrong with them?" She asks. "Each of us picked one out and brought it here for _you. _Are you saying that none of them are good enough?!"

"No! It isn't that! It's just…" I lower my voice before continuing. "They all show so much skin…"

"Oh don't worry about that!" She attempts to assuage me. "You've got such a great figure it won't hurt to show it off, will it?"

I glance around, suddenly feeling very nervous.

"Is there anyway I can get out of this room without having to choose one of these dresses?"

The Class President's face goes from a cheery smile to a dead serious scowl in an instant.

"Not-a-chance."

_Crap…_

"Well, you want me to try them all on don't you?" I ask, and she nods emphatically.

"That'd be wonderful!" The Class President responds cheerfully, clapping her hands together.

_Great…_

* * *

I can honestly say I never knew how much work it was getting in and out of an evening dress. Each and every one of them has to be zipped up in the back, and after putting on and taking off 29 dresses I can say that I'm thoroughly sick of them.

_Just one more now…_

I currently stand inside the dressing room with the curtain drawn. I'm wearing my school uniform, having recently returned the 29th dress. If not for my paranoia this could go much quicker, but it's been over an hour already, and that's mostly because I insist on putting on my uniform after trying on each dress. If not for the fact that nearly every girl in my class wanted to see me naked, I'd be willing to strip down to underwear between each dress…

_Except I'm not wearing a bra, because I didn't come to school thinking I'd be a woman…_

The Class President walks over to the last dress and plucks it from the rack. I stick my head around the curtain, watching as the Class President walks the dress to me, handing it to me on the hanger. The dress is light blue, matching my natural hair and eye color, it also looks like it's one of the least sleazy dresses bought for me. Taking the dress by the hanger I make sure the curtain is closed before I begin to disrobe.

There's a small place to sit along one wall, a hanger opposite it, and perpendicular to the hanger is the curtain entrance. I've already carefully looked over the walls, ceiling and floor, searching for a tiny pin sized hole that could hide a camera.

_They'd take naked pictures of me and sell them to the student body to raise money. The problem is more girls than boys might buy them…_

Having not found a hole, I put the dress on the wall hanger. I start to change, taking off my school uniform and laying it out on the seat before I take the dress off the hanger and slip it on; somehow managing to zip the back most of the way up before I can't get the zipper any higher.

"Any problems Natsuru-san?" The Class President asks from outside the curtain.

Casting a glance outside, I see the shadows of everyone in the class gathered together, watching me change behind the curtain.

"I'll need someone to finish zipping the zipper." I say out loud.

Almost immediately a flood of girls charge forward and I scream as hands poke through the curtain.

"I'll help you Natsuru-san!" A chorus of female voices cries out.

Arms and faces crowd the entrance to the changing room, and the girls all push and shove at one another, and thankfully they don't realize that they all can't fit in the small opening at once.

A hand grabs my breast.

"KYAA!" I cry out, practically flying backward to the opposite wall and crossing my arms over my chest, my face flushing in embarrassment.

The arms continue to struggle against one another, like something out of a horror movie.

_Yeah, the teenage girl stands before the gate to hell with the arms of countless demons reaching out to pull her down into the abyss…_

"Stop it all of you!" I scream, but they don't stop, apparently unwilling to give up the chance to zip up a Seitetsu beauty. "Stop or I'll quit school!"

Everything goes silent, and for second I blink in astonishment, not at the sudden reaction, but at the fact that I never thought of the idea before just now…

_Quitting school is a perfect idea! I can just quit going to school as the female Natsuru and everything will be perfect! I can go to school as the male me and I won't have to worry about having to attend class with all these crazy women! How couldn't I have thought of this sooner?_

"Natsuru-san…" The Class President asks, looking demure for the first time since I've met her. "You cannot quit school!" She says with authority, and it isn't a request either.

"Ever since you arrived our class' income has tripled…" The treasurer argues.

"And you make the classroom smell so since…" The Vice President chimes in.

For a half second I'm actually touched by the sentiment.

_They want to keep me around… but it isn't because they're my friends. They want to keep me around because the class can make money selling pictures of me in skimpy clothing to horny teenage boys _and_ girls._

"I won't quit." I give in, looking away from them.

_Yet…_

"Good!" The President begins as though nothing happened. "Would you still like a zip up?"

I glance down at the dress, and I know that this is the one I'll be wearing. It's split on both sides just below my waist, showing a large amount of leg and somehow not my panties. It's sleeveless and backless with spaghetti straps and a low cut blouse. On the rack is even a pair of matching 1 inch heel shoes and a hand bag. Overall, it's the dress that makes me look the least like a whore, so it's the dress I'll be wearing.

"I'll be wearing this one." I say, closing the curtain once more.

"Ah! Excellent!" The President agrees.

Changing clothes for the umpteenth time today, I get back into the school uniform and put the dress on the hanger again, making sure everything is fine before I step out of the changing room. I hand the dress to the President, who puts it into a dress bag along with the hand bag and the shoes, zipping the bag up and handing it back to me.

"This is yours Natsuru-san; do wear it to the dance." She advises me as I hold it draped over my left arm.

"Or you'll have to pay this much!" The treasurer produces a calculator from out of nowhere with a number on the display.

_That's a _lot_ of zeros…_

"I will, I will." I assure them, waving my hand dismissively.

"All right, you're free to go then."

_Thank god…_

With a smile and many thanks of appreciation to the class I manage to get out of the classroom and actually head toward the gate, and ultimately Shizuku's house. Walking through the school, a thought occurs to me.

_I wonder if Shizuku's still waiting at the gate…_

Cursing under my breath, I mentally kick myself for not thinking of it sooner. I pick up my pace to a jog, careful to hold the new dress and not damage it. 5 minutes later I reach the gate, and I look around in a panic, searching for Shizuku and not seeing a single trace of her.

_Did she leave early, or maybe there was a battle?_

I look around again, this time looking for spent casings, slash or burn marks, any sign that a Kampfer battle was recently fought.

_Nothing, so that means either she left of her own volition or she was kidnapped without getting a chance to put up a fight. But if she was kidnapped, wouldn't Sakura-san or one of the Moderators be waiting here for me?_

"Natsuru-san…?" A familiar voice hesitantly asks.

_Speak of the devil!_

I spin around, knowing that I'm going to see Sakura standing there, and she looks at me with hope in her eyes, her eyes lighting up in joy as she sees my female form.

"Natsuru-san it's you!" She says in recognition. "I thought you'd fallen ill! I'm so happy to see you!"

She takes a step forward, and I take a step back, keeping the distance between Sakura and I constant. Sakura doesn't miss this, or angry expression I give her.

"Natsuru-san, what's wrong?" She asks in a concerned voice. "Did I do something to you?"

_Still playing stupid huh?_

"Tch." I scoff in anger. "You think I'm stupid or something!?"

She looks shocked, shaking her head no she reaches out, but I take another step back, making sure I'm well out of her reach.

"Natsuru-san please. I like you, whatever you think I've done to make you mad just tell me and I'll apologize."

"Apologize!?" I growl in frustration. "You think you can just apologize for what you did!?"

Her stupid act doesn't falter, showing me only confusion on her delicate features. "Natsuru-san please, just tell me what I've done, I promise I'll make it better."

"Just stay the hell away from me Sakura!" I roar in rage. "JUST DON'T COME NEAR ME AGAIN!"

I storm off, unable to stand anymore of her stupid act and not wanting to get caught in a 5 on 1 battle against her and the white Kampfers. Eventually I duck into an alley, looking around for any observers, I'm about to transform when…

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice calls out, and I look to the mouth of the ally 10 feet away to see the source of the noise.

The source of the noise is a dark haired girl with dark eyes around my age wearing the Seitetsu uniform. I don't recognize her, though she reminds me of Mikoto slightly at least with her hair style.

Though right now she looks at me with fire in her eyes.

"Can I help you?" I ask, glad that I didn't transform.

The girl walks up to me, and since I don't see a bracelet on her wrist I don't think anything of it when she stops inside arm's reach and raises her hand.

SLAP!

Her hand impacts my left cheek, my face jerking to the right as she follows through. She has a look of smug satisfaction on her features as she lowers her hand, glowering at me after the slap.

"What was that for?" I demand, allowing a bit of anger into my voice.

Though I know I can't use my zauber on her, I'm taller then the girl by at least a head and I'm willing to bet I'm stronger and weigh more. In a fist fight she'd have a tough time beating me, and even if she did she wouldn't walk away without a few bumps and bruises…

"I saw the way you talked to Sakura-sama!" She declares, and I blink in surprise.

_Sakura-sama? Is she a new white Kampfer? If that's the case why aren't I up to my neck in bullets, magic or a sword?_

"What about it?" I demand, still irate over the slap.

"You have no right to talk to her like that!" She tells me. "Sakura-sama loves you, and you scorn her like that? It's horrible what you're doing to her!"

My jaw literally hits the ground with an audible 'bong!'

_She turns me into a girl against my will, pits me life and combat against other people with superpowers, hypnotizes me and uses me to nearly kill my friends, and _I'm _ the horrible one!? _

My jaw snapping closed I glare daggers at the girl.

"Shut up and get out of my way." I tell her in a no nonsense tone of voice. "How I treat Sakura Kaede is between her and I."

With that I walk past the girl, forcing myself to keep walking and not say anything more that might reveal the existence of Kampfers or the fact that I wasn't born looking like I do.

_She doesn't know, she doesn't know, she doesn't know…_

I repeat the mantra in my head over and over again. Using it I slowly calm down as I walk back to Shizuku's house, and 10 minutes later my hand is on the door handle, pushing it open I step inside, still in my female form.

"I'm home…" I call out in a whisper.

Footsteps echo from the living room, and I look to see Shizuku practically fly out of the living room into the hall, skidding to a stop in the hallway, a look of disbelief on her face.

"Natsuru!?" She demands, looking me up and down.

"Yo…" I say with a wave, and a vein suddenly bulges in her forehead.

"What do you mean 'Yo!?'" She growls, her hands shaking in anger. "Where the hell have you been? School ended over an hour ago!"

I breathe a heavy sigh, transforming back into my male form as I do. As with my male to female transformations, the female to male transformation is wrought with discomfort, but fortunately the sensations are over and done quickly, and I finally feel comfortable in my own skin again as I stand there in my male form.

"Can I hang this somewhere?" I ask, holding up the dress bag.

Shizuku blinks in surprise, her anger being replaced by curiosity.

"Sure, upstairs…" She says, and I nod, starting up the steps with Shizuku close on my heels.

"To answer your question I got strong armed into trying on dresses today for the upcoming Turnabout Dance."

"You know about that?" She asks, and I nod as I walk into the room Shizuku said I'd be sleeping in when her folks were here.

"Yeah, the class president of my female class told me about it today, they had 30 dresses lined up for me to try on and they let me pick one. That's where I've been for the last hour. Apparently each class that has a Seitetsu Beauty in it paid for their Beauty to attend the dance. Did your class pay for your dress Shizu-chan?"

She nods.

"It was a few days ago, just before our confrontation with the white Kampfers." She explains.

"The Class President said you put the idea out for the council, is that true?" I ask as I open the closet.

"Yeah, it was about a month ago that I suggested the idea, and the formal announcement is scheduled for tomorrow."

"Why'd you suggest such a thing anyway?" I ask as I push my male clothes to one side with my free hand.

"Originally I was going to use it as a chance to get you and me to spend time together." She explains.

"You mean you were gonna ask me to the dance?" I ask, and Shizuku nods as I carefully hang the dress in the closet.

"That's right."

"But wouldn't Mikoto and Mishima-san have the same opportunity?"

"Originally I was going to ask you to go the day before the official announcement, so I'd snag you before the two of them even knew about it."

"Oh…" I answer, closing the closet door.

"Though now that we're a couple it looks like we can't even go together." Shizuku says with not a little disappointment in her voice.

I shake my head, my shoulders slouching in defeat.

"I don't know what to say to that." I tell her. "I couldn't get away from 30 other girls without using my zauber, and that wouldn't have done anything good." I explain for her. "Besides, I tried to say I didn't want to go, but the whole class wouldn't hear of it. It's like the fate of the school was dependent on whether or not I attend this dance…"

Shizuku nods solemnly.

"Your female form is popular among the girls and the boys. I'm sure that starting tomorrow girls will be bombarding it with requests to go to the dance with them."

"That is _not_ going to happen." I tell her with a grin. "The female Seno Natsuru won't be attending school again for a while. Even if I get skinned alive I'm not transforming again, it just isn't worth it." I declare. "By the way, when you suggested this dance, why didn't you make it that girls had to ask guys?"

"Originally that's what I suggested, but the student council wouldn't go for it." Shizuku explains, crossing her arms over her chest. "I had to agree that girls could ask other girls or else the event never would've happened."

"Oh…" I mutter, and Shizuku takes my hand.

"Come on, I've got some food made downstairs, let's eat while it's still warm."

I blink in surprise.

"Aren't you mad at me?"

She looks at me, and it's her turn to blink in surprise.

"Why would I be mad at you? You were delayed because of an event that I suggested. I couldn't control whether or not your class bought you a bunch of dresses."

"I guess…"

(Well, that's it? What do you think? I can tell you that the Dance is going to be a hotbed, and is going to be unlike any other high school dance ever. As for the whole Sadie Hawkins/ Turnabout thing you can look it up on Wikipedia if you're curious. As for where Shizku got the idea, she's a modern girl in the modern world with internet access. She could've just as easily looked it up as I did.)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Wake up, Natsu-kun…" Shizuku's voice whispers in my ear.

Opening my eyes I see that I'm in Shizuku's bed, my girlfriend lying next to me in a nightgown. I can feel my boxers on my waist, and I groggily sit up, rubbing my eyes.

"Morning Shizu-chan." I smile at her.

The two of us get up and shower, this time I manage to shower separately from her. I shower second, allowing Shizuku to go first. When I emerge from the bathroom I find her room empty, and I quickly dress. Getting into a school uniform I walk down stairs to hear the sounds of cooking from the kitchen. Looking into the kitchen I see her moving around in her school uniform, cooking breakfast. A delicious smell wafts from the kitchen, and I can't help but smile at the smell of whatever tasty food Shizuku is cooking.

"That smells good Shizu-chan." I comment, and she smiles at the compliment.

"Don't forget your special envelope before we leave." She reminds me, and I nod once.

* * *

**Flashback**

"I just don't know what to do Shizu-chan." I finish explaining my situation to Shizuku.

After coming home from the dress try outs Shizuku and I ate dinner. After that Shizuku asked about my day and why I would resort to transforming.

"It sounds like you're up a proverbial creek."

"Yeah, I have no idea what to do to try and fix things. It seems like no matter what I do things just seem to happen regardless of what I want."

"Well, you're having problems because of my groupies, and your friend has turned on you. I think I have an idea as to how we can take care of your problem and even make a little money if you play your cards right."

"What are you talking about Shizu-chan?" I ask curiously, and Shizuku smiles that 'evil mastermind' smile.

* * *

**Present**

Both Shizuku and I have since eaten breakfast and are now on our way to school together. In my bag I have a plain white envelope along with my school books. We walk with her arms wrapped around my left arm, her head resting lovingly on my shoulder.

"You really think this plan of yours is going to work?" I ask hesitantly.

Shizuku nods confidently.

"Of course it will work. I'll speak to the leader of my fan club and tell them to leave you alone or I'll use my position to make their lives miserable. You can use the contents of that envelope to make friends with Higashida and it'll also help get my groupies off of you."

"If you think so…"

"Just remember what I told you Natsu-kun, you have to act _exactly_ as I told you and say the things I told you to say. If you don't then its possible Higashida will question where you got some of those pictures, and we can't have that."

"I know Shizu-chan. I'll do my best."

"Good. There's one other thing I want to do that should help with your problems."

"What's that Shizu-chan?"

"You'll see." She says cryptically.

The two of us continue our walk together, and when we finally arrive at the girl's entrance Shizuku doesn't dislodge her arms from mine.

"Shizuku…?" I ask curiously, and she smiles as she walks with me past the girl's entrance and to the guy's entrance.

By now a small crowd of students has gathered in the courtyard and near the entrance. Some students hang out in the morning, taking the time to chat with friends or just enjoy some free time before the school day begins.

With Shizuku with me a small group of onlookers forms who aren't used to seeing a girl near the gate at this time in the morning. She looks up at me wearing that mastermind smile, and her arms move from my arm, wrapping around my neck.

"Shizu-"

She kisses me then, cutting me off I hear a gasp of surprise come from every male student looking on. I quickly return the kiss, the two of us French kissing in front of the other students, our tongues wiggling and coiling around one another. After 10 seconds we pull apart, and I glance around to see astonishment and jealously on the faces of practically every male around me.

"Shizu-chan, what was that for?" I ask keeping my voice low, and Shizuku's smile only seems to get wider.

"It's proof that you're my boyfriend." She says with a possessive voice. "And if anyone hassles you about it again I'll personally make their lives miserable."

Her statement doesn't go unnoticed, and it's then that it clicks.

_She's doing this to try and get her groupies to back off. Hopefully it works…_

"You remember what to do?" Shizuku asks in a low voice, and I nod once.

"I remember Shizu-chan." I affirm for her, keeping my voice low.

"Good." She says with that smile, giving me another kiss before she steps back, putting her hands behind her back. "I'll see you at lunch, OK?"

"Yep!"

With that Shizuku walks away, and I head into school, my mind already thinking about what's left for me to do before the first bell even rings.

* * *

Stepping into home room I find my target sitting at his desk. Suppressing a smile I reach into my bag, withdrawing the envelope from my bag. Opening the envelope I take hold of the contents, slipping the empty envelope back into my bag I set my bag down on my desk on the way to his desk. I flip through the photos, making sure they're what they're supposed to do.

"Hey Higashida." I say in greeting, waving to him with the photos in hand.

"Hey Natsuru…" He says in a beaten, lifeless tone with his head on his desk.

_He must be dejected over Shizuku crushing his hopes…_

"Come on man, cheer up! I've got something here that I think will do the trick."

Selecting the top photo, I flash it in front of his eyes. He looks at the photo, a picture of Shizuku in a racy set of red lingerie striking a seductive pose with her arms over her head and her chest out, and his eyes practically pop out of his head in surprise. I quickly pull the photo back, and he blinks, sitting up ramrod straight.

"Natsuru!" He says with sudden life in his voice and eyes. "What was that? Where did you get it!?"

"I took some pictures last night." I tell him matter of factly. "There are even some nice pictures in here of the female Natsuru."

"What!?" He blurts out, his hand snatching out to grasp the pictures.

I quickly pull the pictures away from him, smiling slyly.

"You want them?" I ask in a knowing tone.

"Of course!"

"Then I'll cut you a deal." I say with a grin. "If I give you these, you're gonna sell them aren't you?"

His eyes narrow warily.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Give me 40% of the profits from the sale of these photos, and I'll supply you with new ones. I find out you're shafting me then the supply cuts off, deal?"

"I'll give you 25%." He counters.

"Negotiating?" I ask curiously, reaching into my back pocket I withdraw a common cigarette lighter. "I _wasn't_ negotiating."

I light the lighter, holding the open flame beneath the photos. Higashida's eyes go wide in terror as I dangle the photos precariously close to the lit flame.

"I'll give you 30%!" He continues to try and negotiate.

"I'm still not negotiating." I repeat, lowering the photos ever so slightly.

Higashida's eyes get wider, locked onto the photos hanging ever so closer to the flame.

"You wouldn't!" He tries to deny.

I lower the photos some more, one of the corners singeing ever so slightly.

"40% or I burn them."

He watches as the corners of the pictures burn, and I gently sway the lighter back and forth, threatening to catch the photos on fire.

"OK!" He breaks, agreeing to my terms. "I'll give you 40% of my profits."

Cutting the lighter off, I smile in victory.

"See?" I begin sarcastically, handing him the photos. "That wasn't that hard, was it?"

He greedily takes the pictures, flipping through them and drooling over each passing photo.

"Oh my god… These pictures are _hot…_where did you get them!?"

I smile sadistically.

"That's for me to know, and you to wonder." I slip the lighter back into my pant's pocket.

"My god! The female Natsuru is so sexy!" He compliments.

I snap my fingers in front of his face, getting his attention.

"Every Friday, we'll meet right after school and you'll give me my share of the profits for the week."

"Yeah sure."

"Remember. I get my share of the profits or the supply of photos stops." I remind him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

With that I walk away, taking my seat with a triumphant grin.

_Everything's going just like Shizuku said. With the income from Higashida selling the photos I'll be able to pay her for the food I eat and the drink I drink. Plus, with the extra money I'll be able to take Shizuku out on dates and buy her presents. _

With the events of that morning, I can't help but smile as students slowly begin to file into the classroom. 15 minutes later the bell rings and my homeroom teacher comes in, taking attendance by the seating arrangement. Once attendance is taken the homeroom teacher eyes all of us.

"There's a special announcement this morning, so homeroom will be extended by 5 minutes." He announces to the class.

_This must be the announcement of the Turnabout Dance coming up..._

The PA beeps, and a woman's voice comes over the speaker near the ceiling.

"This is Nishino Masumi of the Newspaper Club!" A familiar energetic voice comes over the speaker. "I'm here to announce that in 1 month, on May 17th the school will be having a Turnabout Dance! In this format the girls will ask their dates to attend rather then vice versa, so put on your best charm all you guys out there!"

A murmur of surprise runs through the class, and I shake my head slowly.

_What do you expect? Not everyone had the opportunity to learn about this yesterday. I just feel bad for most of the guys here. From what I've seen the majority of the female student body are lesbians…_

* * *

Several hours later the bell rings for lunch, and I get up. Still smiling from the events of the morning I stride to the door, ready to make my way to the Student Council President's office as I exit the classroom. Walking toward the elevator that leads to the Student Council President's office I turn a corner and see Mikoto standing there, dressed in her school uniform.

"Mikoto!?" I blurt in surprise.

She blushes in surprise, and its then that I notice that her hair is longer, not as long as Sakura-san's or Shizuku's but still longer than normal, down to her mid back.

"Wh-what happened to your hair?" I ask curiously.

She looks away taking some of the strands in hand she wraps the strands around her finger nervously.

"Do you like it Natsuru?" She asks shyly, still wrapping her hair loosely around her finger.

My mouth drops open in surprise.

"Did you do that for me?" I whisper, and she smiles happily.

"I just wanted to change something about myself, so I decided I'd try this." She explains for me. "Do you like it?" She asks again.

Looking at her, the longer hair does make her look more feminine, and as she stands there I can't help but think that the change in hair style does suit her, at least in my opinion.

"It's different, but whether or not I like it doesn't matter. You should do what you like and whatever makes you feel beautiful." I encourage her.

"I thought that my old hair style made me look like a lesbian, so I decided to change. Even with these my hair will still grow, and eventually I'll take the extensions out and wear my natural hair like this."

I smile at her in encouragement.

"If you wanna wear your hair like that, more power to you."

"Thank you Natsuru. It means a lot to me that you're so supportive."

"Unfortunately I have to go." I tell her, waving as I start to walk past her. "I've got lunch plans with Shizuku."

Mikoto grabs onto my left arm, smiling up at me.

"Come on Natsuru, have lunch with me! Madam President's busy anyway!"

_She's busy?_

"What're you talking about Mikoto?" I ask curiously.

"The Student Council is having a meeting about the upcoming Turnabout Dance."

"She didn't mention anything about it this morning."

"Because she didn't know about it until she got here today."

"How do _you _know about it Mikoto?"

"I'm in the same class as her." She says with a smile.

"So, then you bought her a dress for the dance?"

She shakes her head no.

"I didn't buy her a dress, but everyone else in the class did. They all wanted to see what she looks like in an evening dress."

"OK…I guess since she's busy I'll eat lunch with you. I don't have anything to eat though."

"That's perfectly fine!" She quickly assuages me. "I've got enough food for both of us!"

At that I wearily follow Mikoto as she leads me to the cafeteria.

_I just hope Shizuku doesn't get mad at me for eating lunch with my childhood friend…_

* * *

Not long after that I'm sitting on the roof of the school with Mikoto. Since the school has two separate cafeterias, one for boys and another for girls, there are very few places Mikoto and I can eat together, save for Shizuku's office and roof. Taking a seat near the concrete shed like protrusion that is the door to the roof, Mikoto and I sit with our backs to the concrete, perpendicular to the door with her sitting on my left with me closer to the door. Mikoto reaches into her bag, withdrawing a large bento box and a thermos, along with 2 plastic cups.

"You brought all of this!?" I ask incredulously.

"Yep." She says with a smile. "I knew that today Madam President was going to be busy during lunch so I cooked all of this. I hope you like it."

I narrow my eyes suspiciously.

"How could you know there was going to be a meeting when not even Shizuku knew?"

"It was a last minute thing held by the council. A friend of mine is on the council and she told me about it."

"And why would she tell you about this meeting?"

"No reason. She just thought I might like to know."

"I guess…" I hesitantly agree. "I didn't know you were a cook Mikoto." I change the subject.

_At least I didn't know you cooked anything other than curry…_

"Don't worry; I made lots of the best food ever!" She adamantly declares, and I feel a tendril of knowing dread.

_Oh god, don't tell me…_

Mikoto opens the lunch box, revealing the entire single compartment bento is filled with curry!

"I should've known…" I mutter, shaking my head in disgust at myself for suspecting that I might be eating something different just because Mikoto now has long hair.

"Something wrong Natsuru?" She asks, and I quickly blink out of the stupor.

"No, I'm good." I tell her.

She sets out the cups, pouring some hot tea from the thermos and giving me one before she hands me a pair of chopsticks. Setting the cup down I accept the chop sticks, opening my mouth to ask how we're going to eat the shared lunch when Mikoto slides right up next to me, the outsides of our thighs pressing against each other.

"Mikoto…?" I ask curiously when she sets the bento down on both of our thighs.

"Now we can share the bento." She says with a smile, and I open my mouth to say something, but I quickly close it. "Is something the matter Natsuru?" Mikoto asks in concern.

Since Mikoto isn't doing anything flirtatious, I quickly smile at her.

"Nope, just wanted to say thanks again for sharing your food with me."

"Don't mention it. We've been friends since we were kids after all."

With that I dig in. Eating the curry I find that it tastes like…curry. The tea is good, and for a few minutes Mikoto and I eat in comfortable silence.

After about 5 minutes Mikoto is the one to speak.

"Can I ask you a question Natsuru?" She asks with a hint of embarrassment to her voice.

"Sure, go ahead Mikoto." I give her permission.

"Do you…do you think…I'm attractive…?" Mikoto asks, looking down at the area between her legs.

"You want to know if think you're attractive Mikoto?" I ask curiously, and she nods, ducking her head in embarrassment.

"I'd really like to know what you think…you're the only guy I know, so…"

"Well, opinions vary from person to person." I remind her. "Though, I like long hair on women, and you've got an attractive body so yeah, I guess I do think you're attractive." I say dispassionately.

She smiles appreciatively at the statement, and I think I see her blushing behind her now long locks.

"Th… thank you Natsuru…"

"Don't mention it." I say with a dismissive tone.

I start eating, making sure to eat only half I watch as Mikoto resumes eating shortly after I do. Watching her I see she never really looks directly at me, somehow always managing to keep her bangs in front of her eyes. I'm content to sit there and eat in silence, until once again Mikoto breaks the silence.

"Natsuru…you're going to the Turnabout Dance right?"

I blink in surprise at the subject, and I quickly glance around, checking to see if anyone is listening.

"No, I'm not going, but the female Seno Natsuru is going."

Recognition settles into her gaze.

"Oh…yeah…I suppose her class would've done the same thing as mine did for Madam President."

"Yeah. _Her_ class bought her a bunch of dresses and made her try them all on yesterday when she showed up for afternoon classes."

Mikoto smiles knowingly.

"Madam President's groupies attacked you?" She asks in a low whisper.

I nod affirmatively.

"Yeah, they came after me like an angry mob. All they needed was a couple pitchforks and some torches and it would've been a scene out of a monster movie."

She giggles at the analogy.

"It isn't funny!" I insist seriously, soliciting even more laughter from my childhood friend. "I could've been killed! They wanted to skin me alive!"

Mikoto keeps laughing at my serious attitude.

"I know…" She manages between laughs. "I can just see you dressed in mad scientist clothes, running away from a mob of villagers after you made _Frankenstein's_ monster…" She admits, more laughter coming from her.

"It wasn't a mob of villagers it was a mob of angry students ready to skin me alive! All because they think I've defiled their so called 'goddess!'" I remind her. "The worst part is that she and I haven't even done anything!"

Mikoto blinks in surprise.

"You two haven't had sex?" She asks curiously, and I nod my head repeatedly.

"Of course we haven't." I tell her matter of factly.

"Wow…" Mikoto mutters in astonishment. "I thought that with the way she was acting _before _you were in a relationship she would've thrown you into her bed, especially with the two of you living together."

"It isn't like things haven't gotten hot and heavy…" I begin, and Mikoto's face instantly sours. "But we've never had sex."

"So, Madam President's a big tease? She does all those things and when it comes time she puts on the brakes?"

I blink in surprise at the insinuating tone in her voice.

"No…I'm the one who said we should take it slow." I correct her. "I don't want her to wind up pregnant and have to choose whether or not to have a child, so I decided to at least wait until we both have protection."

Mikoto smiles, a hint of approval in her eyes.

"That's smart Natsuru. I'm glad to know you aren't a fool for your tool."

I shrug my shoulders.

"It isn't like I don't want her." I remind Mikoto. "She's sexy as hell and she knows how to press a man's buttons."

"Really?" Mikoto asks curiously. "What does she do?"

I look at my childhood friend with wariness in my eyes.

"Do you _really _want to know?"

Mikoto scowls at the question.

"Come on Natsuru, we're friends right? You can tell me about you and your girlfriend in the bedroom just this one time. I promise I won't tell Akane-chan and I won't ask again, so don't worry about a repeat of what happened earlier."

Breathing a sigh I make a decision.

"She wears really sexy lingerie, and knows how to act suggestively."

"So, she rubs up against you, she grinds her waist against yours, what does she do?" Mikoto presses.

"She…she does a lot, and you seem to know quite a bit, so you can imagine what those things are."

It's then that a sound drifts up from the stair well, the sound of the bell signaling that the lunch period is almost over.

"Well, we should get going. I don't want you to be late."

We quickly finish the bento, the two of us downing the warm tea before we stand up, grabbing our respective bags.

"See you later Mikoto, thanks for the food!"

"Don't mention it."


	7. Chapter 7

(Well, here's Chapter 7. A lot happens in this one, and I just got the itch to write Kampfer, so I did. It's a little longer than the last chapter, clocking in on Microsoft Word at 21 pages. Anyway, enjoy, and feel free to review or comment.)

Chapter 7

The bell rings, signaling the end of the school day. I can't help but grin as I stand up, leaving my class room and heading for the exit. Shizuku's groupies didn't bother me at all today, so I feel great as I leave the boy's side and head for the entrance to the girl's side.

My mood sours when I see Shizuku standing there, and she's glaring at me with anger in her eyes. I know the look on her face, and I _know_ that I've done something.

_Oh crap, what did I do now?_

"Hey Shizuku…" I speak in greeting.

Her glare is frosty, and she has her arms crossed over her chest.

"You have anything to say to me Natsuru?" She asks frostily, and a chill runs down my spine.

"I…get the feeling that I've done something wrong…"

She looks at me with barely disguised anger.

"You stand me up and then you have the gall to ask you what you've done?" She asks with growl.

The second I hear the words 'stand me up' I know exactly what's happened.

"Mikoto said you had an impromptu Student Council meeting!" I practically yelp. "She said you didn't tell me about it because you didn't know about it until this morning, and you were busy all morning."

Her face softens slightly, some of the anger fading from her gaze.

"Why didn't you check then?"

"I didn't want to bother you when you were busy. Besides, I had no reason to think that Mikoto would lie to me, she never has before."

"She's also never had a rival for your affection." Shizuku comments dryly. "Now you're my boyfriend, and she's willing to do anything to spend some time with you, even if it means lying to you."

"Well, I won't believe her so easily again Shizuku." I tell her apologetically.

She nods approvingly.

"That's good." She says with a smile. "I know that you wouldn't stand me up without a reason, but I'm still mad that you did it."

"I didn't mean to."

"Let's go Natsuru, there's no sense in standing around here."

"Right…"

* * *

30 minutes later Shizuku and I enter her home, and we both shuck our shoes at the door before she heads up the stairs, leaving me standing near the door.

"I'm going to change clothes." Shizuku says as she disappears at the top of the steps.

"Right…" I mutter to myself.

With Shizuku upstairs I head into the dining room. Setting my bag down on the table I open it and take out my books, wanting to get my homework done as quickly as possible. Opening the English book I sigh as I start pouring over the text, and the infinitely complex language.

For 15 minutes I'm sitting in the dining room alone, doing homework when I hear footsteps coming down the steps. I glance through the archway to see Shizuku round the bottom of the steps and walk toward the archway. She's now dressed in a white button down short sleeve blouse that shows her belly button and a mini skirt. She stops at the archway, and I quickly look away and back to the textbook.

Sitting there I try to continue doing my homework, but after a moment I hear Shizuku's footsteps covering the distance between us, and I see her stand behind me on my right out of the corner of my eye, looking over my shoulder. She doesn't say anything as she hovers there, and try to continue working, but after 30 seconds I just can't stand her looking over my shoulder like she is.

"Is something the matter Shizuku?" I ask; trying to keep the annoyance I feel out of my voice.

"I was just curious." She says, turning and walking to a chair that sits perpendicular to mine before she sits down. "I never knew there was such a huge difference between the boy's curriculum and the girls."

"Well, I'm not exactly an honors student like you." I remind her. "So, whatever I'm studying will naturally not be at the same level as what you're studying."

"How do you do when you attend class as a girl?"

I sigh in resignation at the thought.

"I can barely keep up." I admit, ducking my head. "I mean, it's really hard, and it is different from when I'm attending school as a boy."

"Is that so?" She asks curiously, and I nod my head in agreement. "So, if you had a choice, and you were treated as a normal student would you choose to attend school as either a girl or boy?"

"A boy." I answer without hesitation. "Even if I wasn't treated as some kind of super lesbian beauty I'd never be able to keep up with the curriculum."

Shizuku smiles at that.

"I'm glad to hear that Natsuru. Even though you've said that you'd rather be a boy multiple times a part of me still fears that you'll end up choosing to be a girl."

I shake my head solemnly.

"No way. I'd never choose to live as a woman. I was born a man, and that's what I'm supposed to be. I wouldn't even have a female form if not for Sakura-san and this accursed bracelet." I explain for her, holding up my blue contract bracelet still on my right wrist.

"Speaking of Kaede, she came to school today."

"She still playing she's got amnesia?" I ask irately.

"Unfortunately, yes." Shizuku confirms for me, shaking her head slowly. "I don't know what she hopes to gain by acting like this, and if it isn't an act and she really has forgotten everything about the Red Vs Blue conflict then why are we still wearing these bracelets and where are the White Kampfers? It doesn't make any sense. If the Moderators suddenly stopped getting being involved then there's no reason for us to fight in this stupid war."

I shrug my shoulders.

"Maybe she's just putting up an act? Trying to lure us into a false sense of security into being her friend and after we drop our guard she'll spring some sort of trap and kill all of us." I suggest with spite in my voice.

Shizuku smiles.

"You really don't like her anymore." She says with disbelief in her voice, and I quickly nod.

"She toyed with me and tried to use me as a weapon. I told you before Shizuku, I don't have any feelings for Sakura-san beyond contempt and hate."

"I'm really glad to hear that Natsuru." She says with a smile as she stands up from the seat. "I'll help you with your homework, so scooch over will you?" She asks, grabbing the back of the chair and moving it to sit next to me on my right.

"You don't have to help me! I'm sure you have homework of your own to do, so…" I trail, and Shizuku waves her hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it." She says, sitting down next to me. "I normally get my homework done in class, so I hardly ever have any to do other then my last class, and I can have that done in 20 minutes after dinner."

"Speaking of dinner, what're we having?"

Since Shizuku and I moved in together we've sort of fallen into a set of roles. Shizuku cooks, and I clean, it isn't hard and I don't mind doing it all, though I do feel bad about relying so heavily on her to do the cooking and not ever doing it myself. The problem is I don't know anything about cooking other than the basics and would probably end up burning the taste out of anything I even try to cook unless it's instant ramen or toast or something else incredibly simple…

"I haven't really thought about it." She says with a smirk.

"Uh, do you wanna get take out or something?"

"Is my cooking that bad?" She asks with that playful smirk.

"NO! Not at all!" I vehemently deny.

She giggles playfully, enjoying my reaction.

"Seeing you all flustered never gets old Natsu-kun."

"Shizu-chan…" I mutter.

Her eyes dart down to the textbook, and then back up.

"All right, now why don't you tell me what you're having problems with, and I'll try and help?"

"Thanks, Shizu-chan."

* * *

That night is the first night I sleep in the guest room next to Shizuku's bedroom. She says that she wants me to sleep in that room tonight and I don't dispute it. After I stood her up at lunch, even if it was unintentional I'm glad that she's letting me off with just making me sleep in another room. I wake up the next morning, glancing to the clock next to the bed to see its 6:30 in the morning. I yawn and get up. Checking the bathroom I find it's empty. I quickly shower, wanting to get through my morning routine before Shizuku wakes up. On the way from the bathroom back to what is ostensibly my room I peek on Shizuku, seeing her lying in her bed in her nightgown, asleep. I quietly close the door, an idea coming to mind as I make my way back to my room.

* * *

30 minutes later I'm downstairs in the kitchen, the smell of scrambled eggs and toast thick in the air. I stand in front of the stove, tending the eggs and making sure that I don't overcook them. It isn't long before I hear footsteps plodding down the steps slowly, and I look to the archway to see Shizuku in her nightgown with a case of bed head round the corner and stop in the archway. She blinks the sleep from her eyes, her face set in an expression of surprise as she takes in my appearance.

I wear my normal school uniform with one minor modification, an apron. A spatula in my right hand, the handle of the frying pan in the other.

"Good morning." I offer, smiling brightly, waving with the spatula.

"You're cooking?" She asks tiredly, and I nod, turning back to the pan.

"I learned a little how to cook since my folks would leave me on my own for extended periods." I explain, setting down the spatula to lower the heat on the stove top burner. "You want to go grab a shower and get dressed? I made enough for both of us and I'll reheat everything once you're done."

She blinks in surprise, and then steps forward into the kitchen, stopping at the cabinets that store their plates and other dishes.

"I'll set the table, and I'll shower after I eat, we still have time before we have to leave." She says, grabbing a pair of plates from one cabinet, glasses from another and some utensils from a drawer. She walks to the table, setting two places perpendicular to one another at the table. She comes back into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to get juice and butter and jelly. She grabs a salt and pepper shaker and takes it to the table, setting all of the condiments down in a neat group.

"Well, everything's basically ready." I say, turning off the burner as the toaster pops up, popping up four slices of toast.

"It smells good." Shizuku says as she walks into the kitchen.

Grabbing another plate from the cabinet I cover the plate with paper towels before I carefully spatula out the scrambled eggs from the frying pan onto the plate, wanting to keep the grease in the pan and not on the serving plate. Shizuku grabs yet another plate, quickly putting the toast on it while I handle the eggs.

"You don't have to do that." I remind her. "You just woke up."

"Don't worry about it." She says with smile, and in spite of her appearance, I can't help but think that she's still pretty.

"Well…I hope you enjoy it." I look away in embarrassment, holding the plate with the eggs on it.

Together the two of us walk into the dining area, and she sits down first, and I do the gentlemanly thing and pull her chair out for her. Sitting down to eat we both dig in, and I'm relieved to see her smiling as she eats the relatively simple breakfast. We both eat rather quickly, and when we've cleaned up everything I've cooked, I stand up.

"I'll do the dishes, so you can go get a shower Shizuku." I inform her, grabbing the plates and stacking them, putting the utensils and glasses atop the 4 plates.

"Thank you Natsu-kun." She says with a smile, standing up from the table and going upstairs.

_Well, she doesn't seem to be so mad at me anymore…_

* * *

Both Shizuku and I leave at our normal time; walking to school together I'm hesitant to hold her hand after what happened yesterday, even with my making breakfast this morning. She seems to notice my hesitation, looking at me curiously.

"Something wrong Natsu-kun?" She asks when we aren't even 20 feet away from her house.

"Uh…are you still mad at me about yesterday?" I ask hesitantly, not wanting to stir the pot of trouble unless I absolutely have to.

Her eyes widen in amazement.

"You think I'm still mad over what happened at lunch yesterday?"

I quickly look away in embarrassment.

"Well yeah, I mean you wanted me to sleep in the guest room last night because you were still angry…"

"Did I ever say that?" She asks calmly, and I blink in surprise.

"No…but I thought…" I mutter, and Shizuku shakes her head slowly.

"The reason I want you to sleep in the guest room for the next few days isn't because I'm mad at you." She says, blushing herself and quickly looking away, but she doesn't say anything more.

"Then…what is it? Did I do something wrong?"

Her blush only seems to get deeper.

"It's nothing you did! I just want you to sleep in the guest room for a few days." She blurts out in embarrassment.

"OK…I was just curious."

She looks down at the ground, clearly embarrassed for whatever reason.

"I'll tell you sometime, just not right now OK?" She asks, and I nod.

"Sure, as long as you're sure everything's all right."

"Everything's fine." She quickly agrees.

"OK then." I say with a smile, happy to let the subject drop.

The rest of the walk to school goes relatively normally. When we arrive at the entrance to the girl's side I give Shizuku a quick kiss before we part ways, my girlfriend making me promise to come see her at lunch.

With that I head to homeroom, smiling as I walk. Walking into my homeroom I can honestly say I'm grinning from ear to ear when I spot Higashida at his desk, his eyes glued to a set of photographs he holds in front of his face. Casually I walk behind him, and I see he's ogling the photos I gave him yesterday.

"Like those do you?" I ask, leaning down over his left shoulder.

He jumps in surprise; fumbling with the photos he nearly drops them before he clutches them to his chest like precious treasure.

"Don't do that man!" He scolds me. "You scarred the crap out of me!"

"Just remember our deal, and I'll bring you some more photos soon." I remind him, and he nods his understanding.

"I know, I know, every Friday."

With that I walk to my desk, taking a seat at it. Before long though Higashida stands up, putting the photos away he walks over to me, a curious expression on his face.

"Hey, Natsuru, have you heard the rumors about the female Seno Natsuru?" He asks me with concern in his voice.

_Rumors, what rumors?_

"No man, what rumors?"

"Well, the rumors say that after the Turnabout Dance she's going to transfer schools. That and she hasn't been showing up to class recently has people thinking that she's getting ready to transfer."

"I don't know." I shrug my shoulders. "She and Shizuku are friends or something." I offer to him. "I haven't heard anything from Shizuku about her transferring or dropping out or anything."

"Really?" He asks, and I nod once.

_ Yeah, though Shizuku probably let the word out that I'm planning on having my female self drop out of school after the Turnabout Dance. After that happens I'll finally be able to go to school like a normal kid._

"I don't have any clue. She and I were never close, and I don't know where the rumors came from that we were dating."

"Man that would suck." He says longingly. "If she transfers then that means there will be a bunch of new guys staring at her rather than us." He finishes with jealousy in his voice.

I shrug my shoulders again.

"I don't know." I repeat myself. "Maybe she's transferring because the students here made such a big deal about her and have put her up on a pedestal that she never asked to be on."

Higashida's eyes flash inquisitively, and he suddenly leans in, leering at me straight in my eyes.

"You sound like you know what she has gone through." He points out. "Is there something you aren't telling me?"

I blink in surprise.

_Crap! I shouldn't have all that stuff about why she'd want to transfer out! I have to make something up, quick!_

"Uh…it's just…uh…I've heard a lot from Shizuku!" I explain. "She's considered a Seitetsu Beauty like the female Seno Natsuru, so Shizuku would know what she's going through."

"I suppose I can believe that." He says warily, standing up straight and thankfully taking his face away from mine.

By now most of the students have filed into the class, and it's then that the homeroom teacher comes into the classroom.

"All right, sit down all of you!" The teacher yells in a commanding voice.

* * *

The bell for morning break rings, and the teacher closes his book. Without another word he grabs his things and leaves, and I put away my first class textbook, grabbing the accursed English book for the next class. Sitting there I try not to think about the fact that something always seems to happen during the morning break, and after five minutes I find that today is no exception.

"Yo Natsuru…" A classmate speaks to me, walking up next to my desk.

"Yeah, what is it?" I ask, looking at the dark haired boy.

"You got a visitor, again." He says dryly.

"Shizuku?" I ask curiously, and he shakes his head no.

"Nope. Go see for yourself." He says, jerking his thumb toward the door at the front of the class.

"Thanks man." I thank the guy before I stand up and walk toward the front of the class.

On the short walk I think that it must either be Mikoto or Akane that's come to visit me. The former using her breaking and entering skills to get into the boy's wing, while the other has a librarian's pass that allows her access.

Opening the door it is _not_ Mikoto or Akane, or even some of Shizuku's groupies. Instead, Sakura Kaede stands there, apprehension on her face as she looks me up and down, and then looks away, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. For a moment I can do nothing but stare at the Goddess of Seitetsu standing there, blushing at mere sight of me.

_Why is she blushing?_

I quickly snap out of it, the memories of the fight against the White Kampfers and the sting of her slap coming back to me.

"Can I help you Sakura-san?" I ask pleasantly, since I can't very well start talking about Kampfers and the fact that she's the mastermind behind the whole thing without having to answer a bunch of hard to answer questions.

"I…" She begins, looking left and right, still blushing.

_What is this? Is she still playing amnesia?_

"Is there something you need from me Sakura-san?" I ask again in a pleasant voice.

"I'd like to talk to you…" She admits, and by now the classroom has become as silent as a tomb, and every set of eyes has crowded at the front of the room behind me, back far enough that they aren't touching me, but close enough to watch and listen.

"What about?" I ask again, keeping my tone pleasant and amicable.

I expect her to say that she wants to talk to me about the female Seno Natsuru, to question me about the rumors about her leaving.

"Natsuru-san, do you think I'm attractive?" She asks in a small voice, her blush getting deeper.

_Physically yes, mentally you're a bitch…_

I swallow that reaction, knowing that it would only cause me trouble.

"You're quite attractive Sakura-san, surely people tell you that all the time." I say in a pleasant voice, like one student speaking to another, lacking even a hint of familiarity in my voice.

She doesn't seem very happy at that, still avoiding making eye contact, which is fine by me.

"I actually wanted to know if you'd go to the Turnabout Dance with me." She says, still avoiding my eyes.

I blink in surprise.

_What?_

"Um, are you sure you've got the right Seno Natsuru?" I ask pleasantly, and she quickly and adamantly nods.

"Yes! Iwantyoutogowithme!" She speaks a mile a minute, afraid that she wouldn't get it all out.

For a second I'm surprised, and then a cold, hateful voice whispers in my mind.

_She's just playing you, don't fall for it. She knows that you can't show because you have to attend as a girl, so she's only doing this to play with you, that's all, it isn't because she genuinely likes you, she _never_ liked you._

If the class was silent before, now it's even quieter as half of them fall over in surprise, the collective 'thud' of impact punctuating the silence that has befallen my class. No one would ever suspect the 'Goddess of Seitetsu' would ever ask me to go out for coffee, much a less a school dance.

"I'm sorry, but I can't go with you." I tell her in that same pleasant voice. "I actually have plans with my family that night, so I can't even go."

"Oh…" She says dejected, and then her eyes brighten. "Would you like to go out for dinner or maybe a movie?" She asks.

The other half of the class falls over, some of them even foaming at the mouth in shock.

"I already have a girlfriend Sakura-san." I remind her casually. "I'm not going to cheat on her."

_Especially not with you…_

"Um…well…" She begins, fidgeting nervously.

"I love my girlfriend Sakura-san." I tell her, and a voice whispers in my mind.

_Do you? Do you really love her? Sure you like being around her, but do you really LOVE her?_

I blink the thoughts away as resolution comes to Sakura's face, and her eyes come up, meeting mine I immediately look away in fear that she'll try and hex me again.

"I'm not going to lose to Shizuku-chan!" She says with sudden confidence.

_Wait…what?_

"What're you talking about Sakura-san?" I ask casually, and out of the corner of my eye I notice that the resolution in her eyes does not waver.

"I'm not going to lose to her." Sakura says again. "I'll win your love and show you what true love is!"

With that she turns on her heels and starts walking, and I blink in surprise, struck with a sudden flash of memory.

_She's probably on her way to go declare her intentions to Shizuku. If I know her Shizuku will just be ecstatic at hearing that._

I turn around to see the class behind me, all of them fallen over, their legs in the air cocked at odd angles…

Breathing a sigh of regret, I shake my head slowly.

_Ignorance must be bliss…_

"You can all wake up now." I articulate dryly. "She's gone."

* * *

When the bell rings for lunch I shovel my books into my bag and then stand, grabbing my bag I leave the classroom. Since the first break the rest of the class has regained their senses, and most of them seem to think that whatever it is they saw this morning was Sakura being 'generous' since she '_had to know in advance that you couldn't go to the dance so she couldn't have _actually_ wanted to go with you.' _Personally I don't care what they choose to believe, and I'm more then content to allow that reason to percolate among the student body. I don't harbor any doubt that by the time the last bell rings every student in the school will have heard about Sakura's offer to take me out.

Walking into the library I glance behind the counter to see a girl I've never before working the library. Normally I would expect to Akane, but the girl is nowhere to be seen.

_Wonder where she is? Maybe she didn't come to school today because she doesn't feel good?_

Walking to the elevator to Shizuku's office, I press the button and the doors ding, opening I step inside. The elevator ride is smooth and quick, and the doors open revealing the Student Council President's Office. Shizuku sits at her desk, looking up at me when the doors open, she smiles happily. Standing near the desk I see both Mikoto and Akane, the former still sporting her longer hair and more feminine look.

"Natsuru…" Shizuku says in greeting.

"Shizu-chan." I say with a smile.

Akane friendlily waves, and I return the wave. Mikoto smiles at me, blushing at the sight of me.

Walking to her desk I take a seat in a chair opposite her in front of desk. With a weary sigh she reaches below her desk and withdraws a bento, placing it in front of me she exhales tiredly.

"Something wrong Shizuku?" I ask curiously. "What're Kondo-san and Mishima-san doing here?"

She looks with a weary expression on her face.

"Kaede came to see me just after morning break, you know what she said?" She asks with a knowing tone.

"Uh…she said that she wasn't going to lose me to you?" I ask curiously, and Shizuku smiles sarcastically.

"Gee, you got it right on the first try. How'd you know?"

"Uh, cause she came to see me during morning break?"

"I figured." She comments dryly.

Opening the bento, I grab a nearby pair of chop sticks. Sticks in hand I start to devour the bento Shizuku made for me. Across the desk Shizuku tiredly starts to eat a bento of her own, poking at the food with no real desire, a scowl on her face. Both Mikoto and Akane make no move to sit and I don't see any food.

_Maybe they already ate. Shizuku doesn't look very good…_

"Shizuku, what's wrong? Did Sakura-san's declaration bother you that much?"

"I'm worried about her." Shizuku explains. "If she really has forgotten everything and the moderators have chosen someone else to try and enforce this proxy war, and she really has fallen in love with you, then it's wrong for you to scorn her like she's still responsible."

"Maybe she's just putting up an act." I remind them in a cold voice. "I don't trust her as far as I can throw her, and you shouldn't trust her either. I don't trust anything she says, and no matter how much she says she loves me I'll never return those feelings."

"I'm glad to hear that Natsuru, though I'm starting to question whether or not Kaede is still our enemy. If the Moderators can make people just disappear then they can just as easily wipe one of their servant's memories."

"If a defeated Kampfer just disappears then wouldn't a defeated Moderator just disappear as well?"

"I don't know."

"So, what're you two doing here?" I ask curiously, my gaze glancing from Mikoto to Akane.

"Madam President called us both here." Mikoto explains, nodding toward Shizuku.

"We need to talk about what we're going to do about Kaede." Shizuku says, sitting back in her chair. "If she really has forgotten, then the 4 of us need to be on guard for whoever the new Moderator is."

"If Sakura-san isn't the moderator, then who do you think might be the new one?" Mikoto asks, and Shizuku shrugs her shoulders.

"I have no idea. What I'm worried about is if Kaede is no longer the Moderator then are they even going to continue this Proxy War of theirs? If not then why are we still wearing these bracelets?"

"I…don't think they're just going to give up." Akane speaks up in a timid voice. "If they were, we'd have already lost these bracelets and our messengers would turn back into normal stuffed animals."

"Have either of yours said anything to you since we defeated Kaede and the White Kampfers?" Shizuku asks.

"No, not that I can think of, just the normal stuff." Mikoto says.

"Me too, Black Seppuku Bunny has been her normal, vulgar self." Akane explains.

"What about yours?" Mikoto asks me.

I shrug my shoulders.

"Mine's still at my house, and I haven't been there since that incident." I say, and Akane turns crimson in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Natsuru!" She apologizes for about the 10th time. "I didn't think the police would get involved and order you to stay out of your house!"

"It's fine Akane." I tell her. "It all worked out."

Akane still blushes in embarrassment, and I can tell that the librarian is still worried about what happened.

"Anyway…" Shizuku begins. "How are we going to deal with this problem?"

"Should we just attack Kaede and kill her? That would put an end to this whole thing wouldn't it?" Mikoto suggests.

"Unless she truly doesn't remember what she's done and isn't a Moderator anymore." Shizuku counters.

"What we interrogate her?" Akane suggests.

Both Shizuku and Mikoto blink at the idea, surprised that Akane would be the one to suggest it.

"That's a good idea, but the question is where would we interrogate her? If she is still a Moderator and has the White Kampfers around her all the time in hiding then it'll be hard to get her alone."

"Plus she can hex us and manipulate us." I chime in. "She would be able to turn one of us against the others."

"Then we'll have to approach her together. We'll blindside her and put a blindfold on her so she can't look into our eyes." Shizuku suggests.

"So, the question is when, and how do we bait her out?" I ask.

Three pairs of eyes turn toward me, and I feel a chill run down my spine.

_They don't want me to call Sakura-san out and then ambush her do they? They want me to risk being alone with her?_

"Oh no…" I begin in a knowing tone, shaking my head. "NO WAY! I'm not being the bait so you three can jump her! She'll hex me or something!"

"Don't worry Natsuru." Shizuku explains. "We won't let her do anything to you."

"You're not the one who's going to be put a fish hook." I comment dryly.

Shizuku grins.

"Well, I'll tell Kaede that you want to meet her after school in the Equipment storage shed." Shizuku begins. "You'll wait there for her, and we'll watch until she shows up, and when she enters we'll follow and jump her."

"You sure that that's going to work?" I ask, and Shizuku nods.

"You'll be fine Natsuru." She says with a smile. "Don't worry."

* * *

Not long after that the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. The rest of the afternoon goes without incident, and when the bell rings signaling the end of the day I can't honestly say I'm looking forward to what I'm about to do. I go to the Equipment Storage shed, going inside to see the shed is empty save for gym equipment. There are high jump apparatus and mats, running hurdles and all other kinds of equipment in the shed. Finding a neat stack of mats I sit down on the mats, setting my case down behind me I face the door, taking a deep breath and blowing it out.

_Should I transform? No, if I transform I'll be that much easier to manipulate._

The door to the shed slides open and a girl with shoulder length indigo colored hair and blue eyes wearing the Seitetsu girl's uniform stands just outside the doorway. She has a white contract bracelet on her right wrist, and I stand up in surprise.

"You're!" I exclaim, but I don't see any sign of a weapon, and the look on her face isn't one of hostility.

"My name is Yamakawa Ryoka." She says in a demure voice.

"What're you doing here?" I ask frostily.

"I came because I heard that you were planning to ambush Sakura-sama and interrogate her."

"You know about that?"

She nods quickly.

"Yes, I do."

"Why did you come here then?"

"I wanted to tell you that Sakura-sama truly loves you, and you shouldn't try to harm her."

"Sakura-san wants me to choose to be a woman!" I deny her statement. "How can you expect me love her when she doesn't love me for me?!"

"But she does love you for you." Ryoka insists. "She's preparing to do something that will change the war forever, and she's doing it for _you_, so you'll be happy."

"I don't believe you. And if what you say is true then she does remember everything she's done, so why is she acting like she doesn't?"

She blinks in surprise, and for the first time I wonder where Shizuku, Mikoto and Akane are, why they haven't jumped the white Kampfer in front of me.

"Your girlfriend and your allies aren't coming." She says matter of factly, as if she can read my thoughts. "My allies intercepted them and are fighting with them now."

"WHAT!?" I demand before my bracelet flashes as I transform, a fire igniting in my right palm as I point my hand at her, the threat unmistakable.

The girl, Ryoka, holds her hands up as if to ward off a blow, yet no weapon or magic manifests in them.

"Please calm down." She insists. "There's no reason to worry, we were given direct orders _not _to kill them, and we would never disobey Sakura-sama."

"Then why are you here? Why is Sakura acting like she doesn't remember? Answer me!"

She lowers her hands, looking away from me.

"Things are complicated… All I can say is that you'll get your answers soon."

"You think I'm going to be happy with that!?" I growl, the fire in my hand flaring brighter.

"Unfortunately, that's all I can tell you, please be patient."

Her hand flashes out, grabbing the door and sliding it closed in a flash. I release the attack, the fire lancing out and burning a hole through the metal door before it burns out, and I quickly run to the door, throwing it open I glance around carefully, not wanting to walk into a bullet. Taking a tentative step out, I kneel down and poke my head out, quickly looking around I see the athletic yard surrounding the shed is vacant, not a soul in sight.

"Shit…" I mutter to myself.

_I have to find Shizuku and the others!_

Taking off into a run I head for the school, not caring about my book case or anything beyond finding my friends and my girlfriend.

* * *

Since Akane uses a gun, and it's a rather loud weapon, I know that there's only place they could be fighting and not have me hear the report of the gunshots, inside the school. Slipping into the girl's side I find the school building is practically empty, and I can hear the sounds of panting coming into the hall from an open door ahead of me. At the sound I sprint for all I'm worth, skidding to a stop in the doorway I see it's a classroom, the majority of the desks and chairs knocked over with bullet holes and burn marks everywhere. Desks and chairs are cut up in various shapes, the sliced up parts lying on the floor everywhere. Shizuku, Akane and Mikoto are all in the room in their Kampfer forms, all of them are wounded though none of them look to be hurt, just minor cuts and abrasions. What's odd is that Mikoto's new hairstyle is represented in her Kampfer form, and it takes me a second to realize it is in fact her.

The three of them all look exhausted, Shizuku leaning against one of the few standing desks, her daggers in whatever dimensional pocket she stores them in when she's not using them. Akane leans against the wall, gun in hand, her face set in a scowl as she looks out the window. Mikoto stands near the opposite wall, her sword resting across her shoulders. The three of them look introspective, in spite of Akane's scowl the look in her eyes tells me that something has happened.

"Everyone…" I speak in greeting, and the three of them blink almost in unison, being snapped out of whatever reverie they had all slipped into.

"Natsuru…" Shizuku says with a faint smile, both Mikoto and Akane just look at me and then look away.

Stepping into the classroom my eyes dart between the three of them.

"Are you all all right?" I ask in concern, still in my Kampfer form.

Shizuku glances to Mikoto and then Akane.

"We're fine Natsuru, we weren't hurt."

I breathe a sigh of relief, my shoulders slouching visibly in relief.

"You were attacked by the white Kampfers right?" I ask, and the three of them nod.

"That's right." Shizuku says, the other two still haven't said a word.

"I'm sorry." I apologize. "They only attacked you so one of them could speak to me alone."

Shizuku shakes her head.

"Their goal wasn't just to distract us Natsuru." Shizuku says coolly. "They ambushed us, could've killed us, but they didn't."

Ryoka's words come back to me then, whispering in my ears.

_'We were given direct orders _not_ to kill them, and we would never disobey Sakura-sama…'_

"Sakura-san remembers everything." I comment dryly. "This was all done on her orders."

The three of them nod at that, and I can't help but wonder why neither Mikoto nor Akane has said a word since I arrived in the room.

"We know." Shizuku confirms, and her eyes once again glance to Mikoto and Akane.

_Something's wrong, why are they all still in their Kampfer forms when the battle is over?_

"Why are the three of you still transformed? It isn't like you to stay like this."

"We can't ya dumb shit." Akane growls, her eyes darting to me and then out the window again.

I glance to Mikoto and Shizuku, and I feel a tendril of dread at the implications behind Akane's words.

"What do you mean you can't?" I ask in rising dread.

"We're all unable to transform back into our normal forms." Shizuku speaks up, dropping the proverbial bomb. "Can you?"

_Oh shit!_

The fact that I could be in the same boat as the three of them sends chills down my spine. I quickly initiate the change, and my bracelet glows as my entire body shines, and when the light fades I'm back in my normal, boob-less form. I practically fall over in surprise and both Mikoto and Shizuku take my transformation with a nod, Akane however is not pleased.

"That's fucked up! Why the hell can he transform and we can't!?" She practically roars, staring at me with anger in her eyes.

"Mishima-san, relax…" Shizuku scolds her. "Getting angry over Natsuru's ability to transform won't solve anything."

"Tch." She scoffs in anger, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away. "At least you two don't have people looking for you; I have the fucking Police searching for me!"

"And whose fault is that?" Mikoto finally speaks.

Akane immediately glares hostility toward Mikoto, her gun pointing toward my childhood friend.

"It's your fucking fault!" She growls. "_You_ had to throw yourself at him like some cheap tramp!"

"I am not a cheap tramp!" Mikoto growls, gripping her sword with both hands.

"CUT IT OUT! BOTH OF YOU!" Shizuku growls with sudden authority in her voice, and both of them wince at the command, obeying my girlfriend's order. A few moments later some of the authority fades from her eyes and the air around her, and her tone softens slightly. "It's obvious that this was done to try and drive a wedge between us. They're hoping that if we're stuck like this then we'll start fighting each other again to try and finish the war."

"That's easy for you to say." Akane says in a grumble. "You still look like yourself."

"Yeah! What am I supposed to do? My parents will be home in a few weeks, I can't stay like this!"

"I'm in the same predicament you both are." Shizuku says, looking to Mikoto and then Akane. "If my parents come home to see me like this I'll never hear the end of it. We'll figure this out, but only if we stick together. If we turn on each other and start fighting again then it's possible that we'll never be back in our normal forms."

"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Akane demands. "I _actually_ live with my parents! I can't go home like this!"

"You can stay with me for a bit." Mikoto says, smiling at Akane. "Just call your folks and say you're spending the night so you can work on a big project. They'll believe that."

"I guess…" She grumbles, clearly not pleased with the situation.

"Ok, so we have housing taken care of. How do we get you three back to normal?"

"The White Kampfers said this has something to do with preparation for some event that's coming." Shizuku explains. "I think whatever that event is, once it happens we'll be able to revert back to our normal forms."

"Ryoka said that Sakura-san was preparing to do something that will change the face of the war. She didn't say what, only that it's supposed to make me happy."

"Maybe we're finally being released." Mikoto speaks up, and Shizuku shakes her head.

"I doubt that." She argues. "If we were going to be released it would've happened after we defeated the White Kampfers the first time. They would've moved on immediately rather than continue to waste time with Kampfers that refuse to fight one another."

"Then what could the event be?" Mikoto asks, and Shizuku shrugs her shoulders.

"I have no idea. Though for now we all should get some rest, we'll talk more tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Akane asks. "I can't come to school like this, and neither can Mikoto!"

Shizuku looks to Mikoto, her gaze searching.

"Do you want me to create a new student registry for this form Kondo-san?" Shizuku asks, and Mikoto shakes her head no.

"Thanks but no thanks. I've seen what leading a double life can do to someone." She says with a grin, looking directly at me.


	8. Chapter 8

(Well, here's Chapter 8! A word to the wise, this is a lemon, so don't be surprised when that starts happening. I know this may look bad, since I recently wrote a lemon for my Sekirei story, but I am not going to start writing sex scene after sex scene for every story, it just so happened that I wanted this to happen now and I wanted that to happen in the Fallen Sekirei. Anyway, enjoy the scene, and leave a review if you feel so inclined, I read and will respond to any questions you might have, and I always like seeing how much people enjoy my work.)

Chapter 8

Walking back to Shizuku's house I'm glad that Shizuku's Kampfer form is what it is, unlike Akane and Mikoto she doesn't really change that much…

_ Unless you count the interior of her hair turning that silver color, nothing happens to her. Both Akane and Mikoto undergo such drastic changes it's like night and day, the same goes with me too…_

Walking back Shizuku walks in front of me, her hair gently swaying from side to side as she strides down the side walk. Walking behind her I can't help but imagine that she's angry, and rightfully so. At least before she could change back to her normal form and we could at least be a normal couple. Now she's stuck in her Kampfer form, and god only knows when she'll be able to change back…

"Ooof!" I grumble in surprise walking into Shizuku's back.

_She stopped._

Stumbling back I somehow manage to stay on my feet, looking at Shizuku's back, an apology on my lips when Shizuku speaks, interrupting me before I can even begin.

"Natsu-kun…can I ask you a question?" She asks with a hint of insecurity to her voice.

"Yeah…what's wrong Shizuku?"

"What do you think of the way I look now?"

"What do you mean Shizu-chan?" I ask curiously. "The only real difference between your normal form and this is the interior color of your hair…"

"Do you like it? Or do you think it makes me look strange?"

"Strange?" I ask curiously, raising an eyebrow in questioning.

She nods solemnly, her back still to me, hiding her face from view.

"I don't think you look strange, it makes you look different, but you're still beautiful. The color gives you an exotic look."

She turns around then, smiling genuinely and showing me the white interior of her hair.

"Thank you Natsu-kun." She says with relief in her voice.

_She was worried about what I thought about her Kampfer form? Why hasn't she asked me about this before? Is she afraid that because she's stuck in that state that I'll suddenly leave her? She's only stuck like that because of me!_

"Let's go home." I smile at her, extending my hand.

She reaches out, taking my hand, her smile getting warmer as our fingers intertwine.

"Let's go."

Walking into Shizuku's house, the two of us slip off our shoes before she heads for the steps.

"I'm going up stairs for a bit." She says casually, and I nod my agreement; not wanting to start a fight or get her mad at me.

"I'll start on dinner." I set my bag down near the door before I walk toward the kitchen.

"You don't have to!" Shizuku calls from the landing in the staircase.

"Don't worry about it!" I call back, already walking into the kitchen.

_OK…what to make for dinner…_

Sitting down at the table, Shizuku is dressed in casual clothing, a sleeveless white modestly cut blouse and a pair of denim shorts. She's wearing the cell phone strap I gave her around her right wrist, and is unfortunately still in her Kampfer form.

"You made all of this?" She asks in awe, looking down at the two places set at the table, along with the meal I made.

For dinner I found some trout in the freezer, along with some fresh vegetables in the refrigerator. Broiling the three portions of the fish and steaming the veggies and some rice I prepared dinner. Shizuku for her part was upstairs for forty minutes before she finally came down, and it was her that set the table and got the dining room ready.

I nod my answer to her questioning, standing proudly.

"I learned how to cook, and I just used some food in the freezer."

She sits down and I follow suit. Taking a pair of chop sticks in hand Shizuku looks ready to dig in, and I can't help but grin at her eagerness.

"Itadakimasu." We both say in unison.

_It's nice to see her eager to do something that isn't going to have consequences in nine months…_

She removes a piece of fish from her serving, I already pre cut the fish using a kitchen knife after it was finished cooking so it's all ready to be eaten. Holding the fish up to her mouth with the sticks, she notices me just sitting there, watching her, and her eyes dart up and down my body nervously, a self conscious look coming to her face.

"What?" She asks, looking the piece of fish over. "Is something on my face or something?"

I can't help but chuckle at the question.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to stare, I was just wondering what you think about the food."

"Oh…" She says, taking the fish into her mouth and chewing. "Mmm! This is really good!" She says with feeling. "What did you do to season the fish?"

"I just used some spices I found in a cabinet." I smile, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. "I'm glad you like it."

She starts to dig into her food in earnest, and I pick up my own chop sticks, starting into my share of the meal.

Dinner conversation is light, and through some unspoken agreement neither of us brings up Sakura, Kampfers, or anything remotely related to those subjects. For the most part we talk about school and the day to day events of attending high school.

Once we're both done eating Shizuku stands up, taking the dishes from in front of me, piling my utensils on the plate before she picks it up, doing the same to her own dishes.

"I'll do the dishes." She says in a no nonsense tone. "You cooked, so I'll clean."

"OK…" I agree, her desire to contribute obvious and I'm not going to argue about it.

Shizuku goes into the kitchen to do the dishes while I get up and walk back to the front door, grabbing my school bag I carry it back to the table and sit down, putting my case on the table I open it up and take out my textbooks, getting ready to do my homework.

As Shizuku does the dishes, I do my homework. Thanks to the time I spent as a girl, and the difference in the two side's curriculum I'm not that bad a student, and while I'm nowhere near the same level as Akane and Shizuku, I'm not the idiot I was the day Disemboweled Tiger first spoke and I woke up as a girl with the contract bracelet on my arm.

_At lot has changed since that day. It was only a few months ago, and yet I'm no longer that person anymore. Before I hardly had any female friends and I was obsessed with Sakura-san, now I'm in a relationship with the Student Council President and I hate Sakura-san's guts._

Finishing my homework I close the text book, sliding it back into my bag before I breathe a heavy sigh.

"Well…that's done." I say aloud, and Shizuku speaks up from the kitchen.

"You finish your homework Natsu-kun?"

Blinking in surprise, I shake my head to snap myself out of the surprised stupor before it begins.

"Uh yeah." I say, raising my voice slightly. "You could hear me from in there?"

"Yep." Shizuku answers, stepping out into the hall, a dish towel in hand and still in her Kampfer form.

"Wow…you've got really good hearing."

She shrugs her shoulders, wiping her hands on the towel.

"I think it's this form." She explains. "I never really thought about it before, but it's like all my senses are heightened slightly."

"Really?" I ask curiously, standing up from the table. "For me it's just like I'm turned into a girl who can throw fireballs, other than getting breasts and all it doesn't feel like anything's different."

Shizuku sighs exasperatedly.

"Well, you do change into a girl, and both Mishima-san and Kondo-san change forms. All that changes about me is my hair color, so maybe it's a side effect of my transformation being so minor."

"Who knows?" I ask curiously. "I'm actually kinda glad you don't change that much. If you were like Akane I'd be living on pins and needles and have to learn to dodge bullets in my sleep."

Shizuku giggles playfully, shaking her head humorously.

"I don't think she'd shoot you, especially if you were living together."

"She's got that temper though." I argue, shaking my own head. "One wrong word and its 'BANG! BANG! BANG!'"

Shizuku tosses the towel into the kitchen and then walks toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck she smiles up at me. I can feel a sense of wariness form in my gut, but I squelch it.

_That's just my bracelet trying to 'warn' me that there's a red Kampfer in close proximity._

I smile back at her, my hands finding her hips.

"You seem to be in a good mood." I comment with a smile, and she steps up on her tip toes, bringing her lips closer to mine.

"Can't a girl feel good?" She asks innocently, kissing me in a way that's anything but innocent.

After a minute of tongue wrestling she pulls back, looking up at me with open desire in her eyes.

"Shizu-chan…?" I whisper under my breath.

"Natsu-kun…I want to make love to you."

My mouth drops open in surprise, and it quickly snaps shut.

"Shizuku…we've talked about this…"

"I know." She says, bringing her lips to within a hair's breadth of mine. "It'll be fine Natsu-kun, I promise."

"Are you-" I open my mouth to say 'sure' when her lips cover mine, cutting me off mid sentence.

_Well, that answers that…_

We kiss for another minute, and then finally she pulls back, still smiling as she steps back, her hands traveling down my arms to my hands, taking my hands in hers.

"Come on, let's go upstairs."

"Uh…sure…" I answer dumbstruck.

Shizuku leads me up the steps and into her room, closing the door behind us. She releases my hands with me standing in the middle of the floor, her back to me as she stands at the door. She slowly turns around, and I can honestly say that my heartbeat is going like a jackhammer and has been since Shizuku and I started up the steps.

_I'm going to have sex…I almost don't believe it…_

As if Shizuku can sense my thoughts, she grabs the bottom of her blouse, pulling it up over her head, revealing that she's wearing a white frilly looking bra.

At the sight of the lingerie my manhood reacts like it does for all young men at the sight of a sexy woman with no shirt on wearing a bra. Throwing the shirt aside she walks to her bed, sitting down she pats the spot next to her, and still a little engrossed by what's about to happen I sit down next to her. She looks me up and down, and her eyes fixing on my crotch, and the bulge there.

She reaches behind her, undoing the clasp there, letting the garment fall away, revealing her ample chest.

_Wow…_

I can't help but stare, and when her hand touches my chest I hardly feel it. Pushing me down onto the bed I blink in surprise as she crawls on top of me, looking down at me with desire in her eyes, her breasts hanging just inches from my chest. Reaching out to touch her, I hesitate, my hand hanging in the air centimeters above her skin.

Her own hands are far from stationary. She undoes the buttons on my shirt at record speed, splitting the shirt down the middle she places her hands on my chest and parts the shirt, the feel of her soft hands against my skin sending a chill down my spine as they brush my nipples.

"Shizuku…" I breathless whisper, and she lowers her body onto mine, her breasts touching the bare skin of my chest.

_So soft…_

"You want to touch me Natsu-kun, or would you rather see me naked?"

Swallowing the saliva in my mouth, my eyes go wide.

"N-naked…" I answer, and she smiles playfully.

"Then you take off your clothes too." She playfully answers, getting up to her knees and undoing the zipper she reveals the dark blue panties she's wearing.

She sits with her back against the bed, her legs in the air, she takes off both the shorts and the panties as I remove my belt and take off my pants like they're made of acid. Tossing my pants aside I quickly pull my arms from the sleeves of the shirt, throwing it aside so that I'm completely naked.

Lying there, the two of us look at each other naked, our eyes traveling up and down each other's body.

_Wow…beautiful…_

"Hmm…you've got a rather nice schwert there Natsu-kun…" Shizuka says approvingly, reaching out and touching my manhood with her hand, gently rubbing it with her fingers.

The feel of her hand along my manhood sends shivers down my spine, and Shizuka grins as I shudder under her careful touch. Then she climbs on top of me, and when I open my eyes to see her pussy right in front of me, I can't help but stare.

"Make me feel good too Natsuru…" Shizuku whispers, blowing gently on the head of cock, sending more shivers down my spine.

Reaching out my finger traces the outline of her lips, and with my left hand I part her lips, revealing Shizuku's pink insides. Sliding a finger inside I feel her walls squeezing my finger I slowly slide it into her.

"Mmm…don't spread it!" She moans with her body quivering as I coil my finger tip inside her pussy.

"It's so wet and hot…" I whisper, slowly sliding my finger in and out of her.

"Ah…!" She moans again.

"You're really perverted aren't you Shizu-chan?" I tease her, increasing the speed of my finger sliding in and out of her.

"Mmm!" She moans again, and then she opens her mouth, her tongue licking the tip of my dick.

"Ah!" I moan out loud, my finger temporarily forgotten.

Shizuku rolls her tongue around my head, sending waves of pleasure through my body.

"Your finger stopped Natsu-kun." Shizuku teases me.

Leaning my head forward, I pull my finger out of her before I put my mouth on her pussy, licking her slit up and down before I slide my tongue into her, tasting her honey.

"AH!" She moans loudly as I find her clitoris, slipping a finger inside of her. "Natsuru…that's…!"

She tightens her grip on my shaft, her back arching against my chest. Her thighs close against my head, holding me in place as her hand starts to stroke my cock.

"Natsuru!" She moans in pleasure.

Taking my cues from her moans, I keep it at, teasing her clit with my tongue while I work my finger inside her pussy.

"Natsuru…I…" She whimpers. "I…AH!"

Her thighs tighten against my ears for a few seconds, her waist pressing my head down onto the bed as her back arches in orgasm. Her hand seizes against my member, squeezing me tight.

"Natsuru…" She pants in ecstasy, her body falling against mine as she climaxes.

Pulling my face back from her pussy, I finally notice that she's soaking wet, a sweet smell coming from her sex as she lies on top of me on her hands and knees.

"That felt good?" I tease her, and her hand releases my member, pushing herself up as she rotates her body so that her face is in front of mine.

"I want you Natsuru…I've wanted this for such a long time…"

She reaches down, grabbing my still erect member, holding it straight up she positions at her entrance, gently sliding the head in, pleasure running through me as she slides halfway down the shaft.

"Mmm…" She moans erotically.

"Ha…" I pant as she drops down, taking all of me inside of her.

Her eyes go wide as she takes me completely inside of her.

"That's…" She whispers, looking down at my waist, at her pussy completely engorged on my cock.

"Are you all right Shizuku?" I whisper, and she leans down, kissing me greedily as she starts to grind against my cock, sending waves of pleasure through my body.

"Natsuru…" She moans between kisses, her pussy squelching as she slides up and down my member.

"Shizuku…I…" I moan in pleasure.

"Natsuru…I love you."

"Shizuku, I'm going to…" I groan, feeling my imminent release.

"Cum inside me Natsuru!" Shizuku begs for me. "I'm so close, let's cum together!"

"SHIZUKU!" I moan, thrusting up into Shizuku as my muscles tense, erupting deep inside Shizuku.

"NATSURU!" She plunges down at the same moment, the two of us joined together as much as possible.

For a few moments I can feel my seed being sprayed inside of her, and when that feeling fades she falls on top of me, warmth sliding down my thighs and onto the bed, her eyes closed, her face resting in the crook of my neck.

"Shizuku…" I gently whisper, brushing her hair back behind her ear. "I love you…"


	9. Chapter 9

(Well, quite a bit happens in this one, and thank you all who are bothering to read this. As for the delay, sorry. Life just isn't giving me the inspiration that it was before, but I fully intend on finishing the stories that I'm currently working on. There will be more after the chapter, and I ask that you read it before you give me any negative reviews about what happens in this chapter. Anyway, enjoy, and please read the note after the chap.)

Chapter 9

After that, Shizuku and I made love two more times, the length of the love making increasing with each session, and after three times my shaft is sore and hurting, and Shizuku seems satisfied, collapsing on top of me, our naked bodies covered in sweat and other fluids. Somehow I manage to pull her blanket on top of us rather then disturb her.

**Scene Transition**

The next morning I wake up to the feeling of something moving against my skin, and I open my eyes to a big nose full of Shizuku's hair. Exhaling loudly her hair blows away from my nostrils, and she opens her eyes, her eyes awake and not at all sleepy as her right hand slowly travels up my side.

"Awake now darling?" Shizuku whispers and I look into her eyes, smiling at her as best I can.

"Yeah, are you feeling OK?" I ask with concern in my voice, knowing that the first time can be a LOT harder on the woman then the man.

She smiles at my concern, her hand coming to my chin and gently tracing my lips with her finger.

"I'm fine." She assures me, a sultry look coming to her face. "What about you, did you enjoy last night?" She asks in a knowing tone.

"Yeah, it was great."

"Just great?" She asks playfully. "The way you were moaning last night…" She trails, and I can feel my face heat up in embarrassment.

"Last night was incredible."

She smiles, clearly happy at my reaction.

"You're cute lover, so easy to tease…"

"So long as it's you…"

Shizuku opens her mouth to say something when a piercing beeping noise shatters the mood, both of us practically jumping through the moon in surprise at the noise. In a split second both Shizuku and I recognize the noise, and I reach out, looking toward the alarm on the dresser and slapping at the clock until I find the button. Once I manage to turn the alarm off Shizuku sighs in resignation before she pushes up with her arms, taking the blanket up with her and giving me a good view of her ample bosom.

"Lover…I can feel something poking me in the stomach…" She says with a playful wink, and again my face heats up.

"We should get a shower, and we'll have to change the sheets on your bed after we get back from school." I quickly change the subject, and Shizuku giggles at my discomfort.

"We might have to change the sheets nightly then…"

My face turns beet red at the implication.

"Shower! Must shower!"

**Scene Transition**

Fortunately nothing else happens after that, and we're both able to go through what is rapidly becoming our morning routine. We shower together, and after last night I'm not as worked up about being so close to Shizuku. Shizuku makes breakfast, and the boxed lunches we'll be eating later, even though I volunteered to make lunch, Shizuku insisted.

Sighing lightly Shizuku and I walk hand in hand to school. Even in her Kampfer form Shizuku still looks relatively normal. Thinking about her being in her Kampfer form I can't help but grin at the thought that both Akane and Mikoto will both not be in school today, saving me the trouble of having to deal with either of them.

Walking down the street in comfortable silence like every other day a part of me wonders whether or not last night even happened. It all seems almost like a dream, a very vivid dream, but a dream nonetheless.

_Plus the sheets were messed up this morning, not to mention that you woke up naked next to her. You lost your virginity last night, and if you're smart you'll keep that fact locked in a safe inside a bank vault that's buried near the center of the earth. If it gets out that you had sex with Shizuku her groupies really will crucify you and probably skin you alive while they butt fuck your corpse just for good measure._

The thought sends a chill down my spine, and Shizuku's grip on my hand tightens ever so slightly.

"Is something wrong lover?" Shizuku asks in a concerned voice.

"No, not really…" I answer her, shaking my head. "Though I do think it would be best if we keep what happened last night between us. If your groupies find out about what we did…"

"I'll flay them."

At that I can't help but look at her face, and the look she now wears is deadly serious. Looking at her face I get the distinct feeling that she means every word.

"You'd really kill them?" I whisper, and she nods grimly.

"If they killed you then I wouldn't hesitate."

"Wow…"

After that we don't really talk, content to simply hold hands as we walk to school. Eventually Seitetsu appears in the distance, and with it come other students.

"Is that Madam President?" One of the female students asks as we walk by.

"Sango-onee-sama died her hair?" Another mutters as we pass.

Glancing around I can see the other students looking at the two of us. After the initial 'shock' to the other students that Shizuku would actually date me the rest of the student body (save Shizuku's groupies) moved on to other topics and stopped reacting at the sight of Shizuku and me together in public. Now though with Shizuku's 'new' appearance she's attracting all sorts of attention with her choice of hair dye.

Arriving at the entrance to the girl's side Shizuku and I stop, holding each other's hands we look into each other's eyes, and I smile at my girlfriend.

"You sure you wanna go to school like that?" I ask in a low voice, careful to keep my voice neutral. "It's fine if you're embarrassed."

She shakes her head slowly, smiling happily.

"I wouldn't miss this time for anything." She says with a smile. "It isn't long until the dance, and we don't know what's going to happen there, so I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

"Oh…"

"Plus, with Kondo-san and Mishima-san home I don't have to worry about them trying to sabotage our relationship."

"Well, I'll see you at lunch then Shizu-chan."

The two of kiss a parting kiss, my hands leaving hers as I walk toward the boy's side, waving happily toward her while Shizuku returns the wave.

**Scene Transition**

Homeroom and morning classes go by peacefully, and I relish the tedium of our day to day student lives. With the Turnabout Dance looming in the future and the way that white Kampfer spoke about the dance, something is supposed to happen there, but for the life of me I can't figure out what might it be.

"Seno, answer the question." The teacher's voice cuts through my daze, and I blink in surprise.

"Eh… Ah…Yes, sir."

A chuckle reverberates through the rest of the class, and I quickly pick up my book, finding the question the teacher is talking about.

_What a way to start the day…_

**Scene Transition**

The bell for the morning break rings, and I sit back in my seat, sighing heavily. Sitting there I want nothing but the break to go by quickly and without incident. Sitting there with the knowledge that I've slept with one of the school's beauties, someone who is 'out of my league' I can't help but wonder how long it's going to be until I'm lynched.

_Hell, I think if…when it gets out that I'm sleeping with Shizuku I think getting off with just a lynching will be a blessing. If her groupies got their hands on me then they'll probably cut my balls off with a rusty knife…_

A shiver runs down my spine at the thought.

"Yo Natsuru, you got _another _visitor." Higashida's voice enters my ears.

"Madam President?" I ask curiously, and my friend shakes his head no.

"Nope." He says while motioning over his left shoulder toward the door at the front of the room.

_If it isn't Shizuku, and Akane and Mikoto are both staying home, then that means…_

A sudden premonition comes over me at who could be standing outside of that door, and when my bracelet begins to glow, my left hand snaps over it, panic flooding into my system.

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh SHIT!_

"You all right Natsuru?" Higashida asks as I stand up, my chair clattering to the floor as I run for the door at the rear of the classroom.

"Bathroom!" I blurt out, my right hand finding the door knob and sliding the door open, my left hand clamped to the bracelet all the while.

I run to the right, a trail of fire behind me as I make a beeline for the bathroom, not knowing anywhere else I can possibly go to hide.

By the time I make it to a stall the bracelet's light has gotten brighter and brighter with each passing second, until it finally happens.

The bracelet shines and my body changes, the light consuming my form, and when it fades I'm once again back in my Kampfer form, looking down at my chest and my changed uniform.

"Oh no…" My female voice simpers in terror, staring down at the bracelet on my wrist.

As if I can't feel any more terror, the door to the bathroom opens, and my mouth goes dry.

_Hide! Climb on the toilet!_

I quickly scale the john, standing on top of it and hunching down, trying to keep my presence in the bathroom. With adrenaline pounding through my system my senses are on high as footsteps echo against the floor.

CLOP, CLOP, CLOP…

The steps are slow and deliberate, the sound echoing in my ears as my heart pounds in my chest.

_Oh please, don't let them open this stall, oh please, don't let them find me, I'm not here…_

Closing my eyes I hunch myself down, balling myself into the fetal position and trying to make myself as small and unimposing as possible.

Clop, clop, clop…

The footsteps stop directly in front of the stall, and I open one eye to see a pair of feet standing directly in front of the stall. Fortunately in my blind panic I managed to lock door, but if the mysterious walker outside the door is a Kampfer then a simple door lock won't do a damn thing.

_Maybe it's a new red Kampfer. Could Sakura-san have chosen another red to try and get the battles going again?_

"Natsuru-san, I know you're in there." Sakura's voice wafts over the door.

_Oh shit…_

I clench my right hand into a fist, closing my eyes I concentrate, trying to change back into my male form.

_Why can't I change? I'm supposed to be able to change at will! Is it Sakura-san? Is it because she's doing this to me?_

"Natsuru-san…please open the door."

"Wha…What do you want from me Sakura-san?"

"Please open the door Natsuru-san. I'd like to speak to you face to face. I promise that nothing bad is going to happen."

"I consider you hypnotizing me and turning me against my friends a bad thing, Sakura-san." I counter dryly.

"I'm not going to hypnotize you Natsuru-san. I can't."

_So, she isn't playing amnesia anymore?_

Stepping down carefully I slowly slide the latch back, opening the door a crack. Peeking out through the crack Sakura stands there with her arms crossed over her chest, a stern expression on her face.

"What do you want? Why were you acting like you didn't know anything about what's happening?"

"Open the door and step out and I'll tell you."

Closing the door I put my back to it, my mind churning while my breath comes in short, panicked gasps.

"This is really getting tiring Natsuru-san. I don't like talking to a door."

"If you do something to me Shizuku will never forgive you." I impotently threaten Sakura.

"I'm not afraid of Shizuku." Sakura answers the threat. "However if you don't open this door then I am going to get angry…"

Sighing heavily I make a decision. Turning around I open the door fully, taking in Sakura still standing in front of the door, her arms still crossed beneath her ample bosom. She smiles angelically at seeing me, and I feel a momentary sense of happiness at seeing that smile, but I quickly squelch it. Looking away from Sakura's face I step out into the bathroom, walking three steps out of the stall and past her, my right shoulder facing her while I intentionally don't make eye contact with her.

"So, why are you pretending to have amnesia? It's clear that you remember everything you've done, so why the act?"

"You want the truth?"

"Of course I want the truth."

"The truth is that part of me doesn't know anything about Kampfers and the conflict. That person is truly ignorant of everything, blissfully innocent. When this plan was conceived it was decided that the moderator of the conflict would have to blend in to the surrounding populace as much as possible. To that end the others implanted the knowledge and ability into this body and I was created."

_Others?_

"Others? You're saying that there are other moderators out there, running more of these proxy wars?"

Out of the corner of my eye Sakura smirks, uncrossing her arms she steps toward me. Facing her I raise my hand, calling on my zauber with my palm toward the ceiling, but nothing happens.

_What?_

"In this moment, you are as you are meant to be, Natsuru." Sakura whispers, somehow knowing that I was trying to use my power against her. "You're nothing more than a normal woman."

She steps within arms reach, and she reaches out. I try to move, but my body won't respond as her fingers grace my cheeks, her smile both serene and predatory.

"What do you want?" I ask again, my female voice quivering in fear.

"Isn't that obvious?" She whispers, her breath blowing across my cheek, sending shivers down my spine. "I want you Natsuru." She continues as her left hand slowly slides down my cheek, to my neck. "Your gorgeous skin…" She whispers in a throaty purr. "Your beautiful breasts…" Her hand traces the outline of chest. "All of you…"

In that moment I remember the night before, Shizuku and I making love, her passion filled moans filling the room.

"I love you Natsuru…" Her voice is clear as day, like she's standing right next to me.

"Get away from me!" I cry out, thrusting my arms forward with sudden strength I didn't even know I have.

Sakura stumbles backward, clearly surprised by my outburst, her smile gone, replaced by a look of shock and surprise.

"Wha…?" She whispers, looking me up and down, I refuse to make eye contact with her.

"Don't touch me!" I growl, holding my own hands to my chest, tears in my eyes at the thought of being somehow violated by Sakura.

When she speaks again, her voice is no longer sweet and gentle whisper, not an once of familiarity remains.

"You've slept with her haven't you!" Sakura growls in accusation. "You let her have your body when you know it belongs to _ME_!"

Not too long ago I'd have been thrilled to hear her say something like that, but now…

"I slept with her, my _real self_ slept with her!" I shoot back, anger building in my system that the wench standing before me would dare try to claim me like I'm nothing but a piece of property. "Shizuku and I are in love, and you need to _get out of my life!_ I despise you! I hate you! I wish I'd never met you!"

The indignation drains from her face, replaced by shock and fear.

"Natsuru…" Her voice breaks, her shoulders trembling.

"Get away from me Kaede!" I growl in contempt, spitting her name like it's poison. "I don't want to see you again! EVER!"

Her hands drop, and she steps back like she's been hit in the gut. Her head drops, her bangs covering her eyes.

She sobs in sadness, the emotion crashing over her like a wave. A tear falls from her cheek. That tear is soon followed by many more.

"Nat-su-ru…" She sobs my name, her hands coming up to wipe at her eyes. "How can you do this? How can you say those things? Why don't you remember…?" Her voice fraught with despair and anguish.

_Remember? What is she talking about?_

"Remember? Remember what! I remember every _DAMN THING_! That time at the pool! The time I came over to your house! The way you teased me when I attended school as a girl! I remember _all of it_!" I scream in righteous anger.

"No…" She whimpers, shaking her head and sobbing into her hands. "We were lovers…"

"What are you talking about! You and I have never even shared the same bed!"

She shakes her head, sobbing into her hands in a sorrowful wail.

"Before…on our home, we were lovers… Why can't you remember?"

"…What…?" I breathless whisper, barely aware that I've even spoken.

_Is she saying that I'm like her? Am I a moderator meant to continue this war, no matter the price?_

It's then that the bathroom door flies open, revealing the same woman who spoke to me in shed, distracted me while the rest of her band fought against Shizuku and the others.

_Yamakawa Ryoka…_

"Sakura-sama!" Ryoka cries out, standing in the doorway and staring down at her master, seeing Sakura on her knees and bawling her eyes out.

_Quick, run!_

Without a second thought I take off, barreling into the white Kampfer in the doorway and pushing her aside, making an immediate left I run down the hall as fast my legs will carry me.

"What? Wait!" Ryoka calls out but I ignore her cry, my only thoughts solely focused on running, and putting as much distance between Sakura Kaede and me as humanly possible.

**Scene Transition**

"Playing hooky huh?" A familiar voice disrupts my delirium.

Blinking in surprise I remember where I am and what happened. I ran from Sakura, her revelation that I might be more than just a normal high school student who has the unfortunate luck of being chosen as Kampfer weighing heavily on my mind. I ran from the school, ditching my afternoon classes and just running, finding a dark alley in the shopping district and just collapsing in it, barely remembering to transform back into my male self before I just closed my eyes and tried not to think.

_Now though…_

Looking down at my watch, its well into the afternoon, and looking up at Shizuku's face I can see relief on her features. She's dressed in a dark purple blouse and mini skirt, the inside of her hair still shimmering silver, a dead giveaway that she is still unable to change back into her normal form.

"What happened to you?" Shizuku continues, offering me her hand to help me up. "You never showed up at lunch and I heard from a student that the female Natsuru was seen jumping the fence and leaving campus right after the morning break."

"Sakura came to visit me during the break." I mumble, staring down at the ground, my knees at my chest, and my arms around my legs.

Seeing me make no move to take her hand Shizuku steps in front of me, kneeling down to look me in the eye, her gaze filled with concern and more than a little worry.

"Natsuru, what did she say? Did she try to hypnotize you again?"

"I wish…" I mutter sarcastically, shaking my head slowly.

"What then? _Please_ Natsuru, tell me. I've never seen you like this" She insists, pleading with me.

_Because I've never questioned whether or not I'm anything more than just a normal high school guy before this._

"She said that she and I were lovers." I answer hollowly, not meeting Shizuku's gaze. "She said that she and I were put here to make sure this proxy war gets fought, and asked why I couldn't remember how I felt toward her."

Shizuku is quiet for a long moment as she kneels in front of me. She reaches out, grasping my right shoulder with her left hand, her right hand cupping my chin and turning my gaze toward her face, her eyes filled with contempt and rage.

"And you believed her?" Shizuku asks me with venom in her voice, her words like a slap in the face. "You think that anything she tells you is the truth? She manipulated you Natsuru; she tried to turn you against your friends for her own selfish ambition. You can't trust her, and anything she tells you is a lie."

"I…" I mutter, the words lost in my throat.

_You weren't there Shizuku. You couldn't see the sincerity in her eyes, the sadness in her voice._

"Come on Natsuru, let's go." Shizuku says, standing up and offering her hand once more.

In my current condition, I just do as I'm told. Reaching out I take her, Shizuku leads me to my feet, relief seeping into her posture as she starts for the mouth of the alley, pulling me along with her.

(I just want to say that I have _not_ read any of the light novels or seen any of the 'official' plot of Kampfer beyond what was covered in the anime. Having said that I do have a direction I want this to go in, and I've started alluding to that here. If you don't like that, I'm sorry, but I think it'll be an enjoyable ride.)


	10. Chapter 10

(Well, here's 10. Fair warning that there's a little more lemon at the end of this, but this is more a drama thing then an action Chapter. The next chapter will be the Turnabout Dance and a lot of stuff happens there. Enjoy the chap and leave a review if you like.)

Chapter 10

Walking back to Shizuku's house I'm on auto pilot. Shizuku leads me around like a dog and I honestly don't care. After everything that's happened to me I can't just brush Sakura's confession off as a lie like Shizuku can. Being there, seeing the way she looked at me and spoke it's hard to wrap my head around it all being a lie.

_But if it's true then you're really an alien put here for the sole purpose of ensuring this proxy war comes to a conclusion. But if that's so then why is it that she never spoke to me or tried to be my friend before I became a Kampfer? If she's telling the truth then she had to know that I was her former lover and wouldn't she have tried to reach out to me _before _I got this bracelet?_

I can't think of anything to say to that, my mind overloaded with everything that's going on and more then anything I just want to shut down, to stop thinking about things like whether or not I'm an alien plant put here to make sure innocent people are made to just up and disappear.

_Who's to say we all aren't plants put here by aliens? Can you really say for certain that you _have _parents and that you were friends with Mikoto growing up where you live now? If these aliens can create personalities in people and just make people disappear without a trace then what's to stop them from just creating personalities for their proxy warriors and sending them to this planet ignorant of what they are?_

I close my eyes and shake my head, trying to clear it of the disturbing thought.

"Natsuru, we're here." Shizuku's voice interrupts my delirium and I blink in surprise to see that we have in fact arrived back at her house.

"You're right…" I mutter my voice low and filled with sadness. "Sorry…"

Shizuku turns to face me then, staring me down with a stern look on her features.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I…uh…"

"You what? I can understand that you're shaken up by what's happened but it's more then that. Kaede is a liar and would say or do anything to get what she wants, and what she wants is you to accept being a girl and becoming her lover. Do you honestly think she wouldn't just make up a story about the two of you having some prior relationship just to try and get to you? Don't let her Natsuru; you're stronger then that, I know you are."

I glance up at her face, managing a weak smile in spite of how I feel.

"Thanks Shizuku, it means a lot to hear you say that."

She returns my smile, the expression sincere and caring she ushers me forward, toward her door.

"Come on." She says while ushering me inside. "Why don't you go upstairs and get a shower and just relax for a bit, I'll take care of dinner and after we can just relax, OK?"

I smile again, this time with a little more feeling.

_She's trying to comfort you. _A voice whispers in my mind. _She cares enough that she's going out of her way to try and help you, how can you deny that? Even if you're both plants put here to fight a war she cares about you, she loves you regardless of what's happened in the past._

Thinking that it's like a weight is lifted off my shoulders, and I reach out to her, wrapping my arms gingerly around the dark haired Seitetsu beauty and pulling her close, her body stiffening at the initial contact, but she relaxes into the embrace, her hands wrapping around my ribs and coming to rest on my back.

"Thank you Shizu-chan." I smile at her, the words earnest and sincere.

"You're welcome Natsuru."

For a long moment the two of us hold each other in comfortable silence, until Shizuku speaks up, breaking the silence and shattering the mood.

"I hate to say it, but would you take a shower? I don't know what you sat in in that ally but you kind of smell."

I blink in surprise at her comment, and I sniff my shirt, reeling away at the rotten stench coming from my clothes.

_Gah! What is _that?

"You're right." I say with an uneasy chuckle. "I'll go get cleaned up."

"And I'll handle dinner." She says with a smile as we both part from the embrace.

Heading for the stairs I can't help but look back as she heads into the kitchen, watching her go and for the first time in hours feeling something else other than doubt or despair.

"Thank you, Shizuku." I speak again in a whisper before heading up the stairs to shower and remove the infernal stench from my skin.

**XXX**

Stepping out of my room and into the hall I can hear voices coming from downstairs. Stopping in my tracks I cock my head to the side and listen, trying to hear what the faint speakers are discussing.

_Is that Mikoto, and Akane? Why would they be here? _

Walking down the steps the voices become clearer and I can make out both Akane and Mikoto in their transformed states.

"So, she told him that they were both put here to make sure that this proxy war gets fought?" Akane asks.

"That's right." Shizuku agrees frostily. "She told him that the two of them had a relationship on whatever planet the moderators are from and he was really shaken up by it."

"So, what can we do?" Mikoto asks curiously.

"Well, he was sitting in ally for hours and I found him just moping. He seems to have perked up a little bit and I think we really need to be on our toes around Sakura."

"Well, you're the only one who can go to school now while the two of us are stuck at home."

"I want you two to come to the Turnabout Dance." Shizuku explains to the both of them. "Even in your Kampfer forms I can create school IDs for both of you and get you both in to the dance. You won't have dates, but I don't think that will bother you, both Natsuru and I have to attend in our Kampfer forms so I doubt you'll have a problem there."

At that point I round the bottom of the stairs and I notice that Shizuku, Mikoto and Akane are in the living room, Shizuku standing near the table while Akane sits on the sofa and Mikoto sits in a chair. Shizuku is the only one who is facing the stairs, and she sees me approach the archway and stop, looking around cautiously.

"Good to see you up and about." Shizuku says with a smile. "Did you have a good shower?"

"Yeah, thanks for giving me the opportunity. Why are Kondo-san and Mishima-san here?"

"I called them here Natsuru." Shizuku explains. "I'm worried that Sakura is going to try and do anything to influence you and we have to work together if we're going to keep this from spiraling out of control."

"So, what's the plan?"

"Madam President was just telling us she wants us to attend the Turnabout Dance Natsuru." Mikoto answers me. "She says if we're there then we'll be able to protect you if Sakura tries something."

"I don't know if that will matter. If Sakura brings all her white Kampfers to the dance then we won't be able to force them to do anything without open combat."

"If Sakura causes some shit then I'll just blow a freakin' hole through her head." Akane mutters, her pistol appearing in her hand as she stares at it longingly.

"You're already in trouble for shooting up Natsuru's house; you wanna become a mass murderer too?" Mikoto asks, and Akane glares at my childhood friend, her finger twitching on the trigger.

"I'll fucking kill anyone who messes with me." Akane growls, her eyes darting toward Shizuku.

"No fighting, any of you." I speak to all three of them, and at the same time the three of them turn their heads toward me. "Sakura wants us to be at each other's throats so we're easier to pick off or manipulate, but if we stand together then we'll prove that we're not going to fight in some proxy war and we all just want to live in peace."

"Well said, Natsuru." Shizuku says with an approving nod. "That's exactly the kind of attitude we all need to take if we're going to get through this."

"Get through this?" Mikoto asks, crossing her arms over her chest. "Akane and I are stuck in our Kampfer forms and we can't even go to school, unless you have some plan for turning us back to normal?"

Mikoto glares toward Shizuku, who meets her gaze and then looks away, defeat appearing in her eyes.

"You're fortunate that the only thing that changes about you is your hair, but Akane and I actually change and with Akane even her personality changes. Unless we can turn back to normal our lives will never be the same!"

Shizuku looks ashamed, and I can see that she feels guilty about the situation, that she and I get to live in relative normalcy while both Akane and Mikoto can't even attend school because they don't look like they're supposed to.

"What will yelling at Shizuku solve?" I growl at Mikoto. "This isn't her fault! The only one to blame here is Sakura! If Shizuku could get you both to transform back to normal then she would!"

Mikoto looks surprised at my outburst, and she opens her mouth to say something.

"Uh, I didn't…" She mumbles, and I shake my head.

Concentrating a moment my bracelet glows and I feel the transformation come over me in an instant. The light from my bracelet fades and I'm in my Kampfer form, dressed in the T-shirt and jeans suited for my male body the shirt hugs my female form's chest.

_Damn, talk about uncomfortable…_

"Natsuru?" Mikoto asks curiously.

"We're all in the same boat!" I continue, my female voice charged with anger. "Right now I'm a girl, and there's no guarantee that I'll be able to change back, but that isn't Shizuku's fault! If you really want to change back to normal then we need to figure out a way to force Sakura to undo whatever it is she did to make it so that you can't change!"

Mikoto looks away guiltily, and Akane just stares at her gun, smirking confidently. Shizuku has a look of concern on her face, and I can tell that she's worried that I really won't be able to return to my male form.

"Natsuru, I think they understand, so please return to normal. We don't need your bracelet being affected by whatever has affected ours."

I nod and concentrate again, my bracelet shining as the light covers my entire body as I change back to my normal male form. When the light fades I'm thankfully back in my male body. Shizuku looks me up and down approvingly, and I can see the relief on her face and in her eyes. Both Akane and Mikoto both sigh at the sight of my transformation, and I can tell that they both wish they could be in my shoes.

My stomach growls, the sound resonating around the room, eliciting a grin from Mikoto and Shizuku.

"What's dinner Shizu-chan?" I ask curiously, and Mikoto's face falls, her expression shocked at what I've just said.

"'Shizu-chan?'" Mikoto asks in surprise, staring me down indignantly. "I knew it! You two have had sex haven't you?"

At the accusation Akane's face shifts into a scowl and she raises her right hand with her gun in hand, finger twitching against the trigger.

"Well?" Mikoto growls, standing up and leaning toward me angrily, her hands on her hips and her face set in a scowl. "You slept with her when you've only known her a few weeks and we've known each other all our lives and you've never touched me!"

"I told you that I don't look at you like that!" I shoot back at Mikoto, sighing in frustration. "You're an attractive girl Mikoto and if you wanted you could have anyone you wanted, but I think of you like my sister…"

"Then I'm fine with incest!" Mikoto shoots back, and I feel my face heat up at the proclamation, even Akane blushing a little at the out of nowhere comment.

Shizuku's face turns red as well, and of the four of us Mikoto is the only one who isn't blushing or the least bit ashamed.

"Mikoto, that's…" I mutter under my breath.

"I don't care if you feel that we're related or whatever! If you want me to act like we're related and its incest then I will! I love you Natsuru, I want to be with you and I don't want you to be with Madam President. She doesn't care about you the way I do, and…"

"And what?" Shizuku growls, stepping forward, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who are you to say how I feel about my lover? You're just jealous that I slept with him and that he and I are living together."

"Of course I'm jealous! I'm living alone right now and I live right next to him! He should be living with me instead of you!"

"Hey, what I am I, freakin' chopped liver?" Akane growls, stepping forward with her weapon in hand. "I love Natsuru just as much as you and I haven't known him my whole life! I'm the only other blue here anyway!"

Mikoto shoots her gaze toward Akane, clearly displeased by Akane's attempt at garnering my attention.

"Who cares about what color bracelet we have?" Mikoto growls angrily. "Red or blue it doesn't matter! What matters is how we feel and I love Natsuru more then either of you!"

Shizuku walks around the two of them and presses her body against mine, her breasts soft against my chest, giving me an unobstructed view of her cleavage. Both Akane and Mikoto don't miss this, and Shizuku's hand drifts to my groin, her fingers gripping my zipper and tugging it down.

"Shizuku!" I gasp in surprise, and she pushes up on her tip toes, kissing me and covering my mouth as she pulls my fly down, her hand sliding inside my pants to tease my dick.

"Madam President!" Mikoto growls, Shizuku's stance keeping Mikoto from noticing what exactly her left hand is doing.

Pulling back slowly Shizuku smiles up at me as her hand gently rubs my rod.

"What's wrong Natsuru?" Shizuku asks innocently, looking up at me with 'puppy dog eyes.'

"Uh, um…"

Her hand continues to grope me, gently stroking me off inside my boxers.

"Natsuru…" Akane's growl sends shivers down my spine.

Her gun comes up, and I feel the blood drain from my face as I realize what she's going to do when she realizes what Shizuku's doing.

"Shizuku, Akane's got her gun and…" I mutter, trying to ignore the steady piston movement of Shizuku's hand in my pants.

A samurai sword appears in Mikoto's hand, the blade comes to rest on Akane's gun hand, the sword right behind her wrist.

"I don't give a shit what you do to Madam President, but if you shoot her now you'll hurt Natsuru too. Pull that trigger and I'll cut your hand off."

Akane's hand drops, her hand and body shifting to face Mikoto, the gun pointed at her head while the tip of Mikoto's sword is pointed at her chest.

"Don't fuck with me Miki." Akane growls. "You've been really cool putting me up at your house but I'm not gonna back down. If you and Shizuku are both dead then this whole proxy war will be over and Natsuru and I can be happy."

"You honestly think he'll like you if you kill his childhood friend and his lover?" Mikoto asks sarcastically. "As long as he remembers that you did it he'll hate you."

Akane's gun hand falters, and the entire time Shizuku never stops stroking my dick.

_It feels good but I can't let on that she's doing anything… If I do both of them will go crazy and start fighting and…_

Akane lowers her gun, her face falling as her eyes pitch toward the ground in defeat.

"You're right." She admits with a grumble.

Mikoto lowers her sword, keeping the weapon at her side but not sending it back wherever it is that Kampfer weapons go when they're not being used. Akane shifts her gaze toward Shizuku and me, her eyes coming to a rest on Shizuku's back, the two of them somehow oblivious to Shizuku's groping.

"Didn't…" I trail, Shizuku's attention to my junk sending a shiver of pleasure up my spine. "Didn't you both agree that you wouldn't try and break me and Shizuku up?"

The two of them share a look and I can see the realization in both of their eyes, and it's Mikoto who looks back first.

"We aren't trying to separate you two." Mikoto explains with her free hand against her left hip. "I'm just angry that you had sex with Shizuku when you've known me your whole life and won't even let me touch you…"

_Speaking of touching…_

Shizuku looks up at me with a knowing smile on her face, her hand still moving against my rod.

"Shizuku…you can't…" I whisper to her, my voice barely making any sound at all.

"I can't what Natsu-kun?" She asks in that same whisper, her voice barely audible even to me.

"What're you two whispering about?" Mikoto asks suspiciously, the hairs standing on the back of my neck.

"B-bathroom!" I blurt out in fear, turning around like a top and running out of the room and hitting the stairs, flying up them like the hounds of Hades are at my heels.

**XXX**

Sitting in the bathroom with my back to the door I take deep breaths, trying in vain to try and calm myself after Shizuku's deliberate teasing.

_Did something happen to her when I took her virginity? She just started jerking me off with both Akane and Mikoto right there! Did she want us to do it in front of them as proof that we're lovers? I think they already understood that well enough…_

A gentle knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts, and I blink in surprise, looking up over my left shoulder toward the doorknob.

"Who is it?" I ask aloud, and thankfully Shizuku answers me.

"It's me." She answers my call. "I sent the both of them home and told them we would meet again before the dance. Are you all right?"

"Yeah…" My shoulders sag in relief that both Akane and Mikoto are gone, standing up before I open the door to see Shizuku standing in front of the doorway, still dressed and wearing a slight smile on her face.

She looks me up and down, her eyes lingering on my now closed fly, and the bulge beneath it.

"Still haven't calmed down?" She asks teasingly, and I look away in embarrassment.

"Well, you were jerking me off." I say matter of factly.

"And you weren't enjoying it?"

"Well, uh, I kinda like my head the way it is, it doesn't need any new holes or to be separated from my neck."

"You worry too much." She says dismissively. "They had no idea, and don't tell me it didn't turn you on."

"You were jerking me off."

"What about now? You're still hard…"

The look in Shizuku's eyes is familiar, and I know exactly what it means.

_Do young girls who lose their virginity become suddenly horny, or maybe it's something to do with her Kampfer form…_

"Shizuku, we need to talk."

"We can talk later…" She begins as she walks into the bathroom, wrapping her arms around my neck and hiking her right leg up my side so that her knee is next to my hips, her mouth drifting toward mine. "I want you Natsuru…"

"In the bat-"

Shizuku's lips envelope mine, cutting me off before I can say 'bathroom.' Her tongue slips into my mouth, coiling and writhing around my own, her body grinding against mine in open desire.

_If this keeps up we'll end up doing it again. If she ends up pregnant like this she may never be able to change back. I don't want kids, not yet, so how does she know that she can't get pregnant like this?_

After a minute she breaks the kiss, looking at me with undisguised want. As much as I want to fuck her, to feel her pussy squeezing my cock the thought of her getting pregnant persists in my head.

"Tell you what, you tell me what I want to know and I'll do anything you want me to."

Her eyes sparkle curiosity; her mood peeked by the question, and the promise inherent in it.

"What do you want to know?" She asks in a throaty purr.

"How do you know you can't get pregnant? Tell me that and I'll do whatever you want."

A light chuckle escapes her lips, and she leans forward, kissing me lightly before looking up into my eyes.

"Make me cum and I'll tell you."

My hand travels down her side, going up her skirt to touch her already wet panties.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who's hot and bothered." I grin as I slide the underwear aside, sliding my middle finger into her.

"Mmm…" She moans, leaning heavily on me for support with her one leg in the air.

I can feel her gripping my finger, her sex moist and tight around my finger as I slowly coil my finger back and forth inside her.

"Don't tease me…" She begs, one of her hands grabbing her blouse and pulling the buttons open, revealing her beautiful breasts, and the fact that she isn't wearing a bra.

"No bra?" I ask sarcastically, slipping my pointer finger into her.

"I…took it off…before…ah…Natsuru…"

Out of nowhere she starts to move her hips against my fingers, her body seeking pleasure all on its own. The sounds of my fingers sloshing inside her sex as she grinds against my digits turning me on even further.

"Tell me what I want to know, and I'll put it in."

"Ha…don't tempt me mmm!" Shizuku moans as I reach out with my thumb, teasing her clit.

"Tell me what I want, and I'll fuck your brains out." I whisper to her, and she pants her answer.

"I was in the middle of my period when the change happened and it completely stopped when I transformed, so no ovulation, no pregnancy."

_She's only been changed a few days, what if it just resets?_

"Please Natsuru! I don't want your fingers!"

Hearing her beg, I do the only thing I can.

Pulling my hand from her I unzip my pants and pull out my tool, Shizuku looking at it like it's made of gold.

"HA!" Shizuku moans as I thrust inside her, her warm wet pussy tight around my cock, and pulling back it's so tight it almost hurts, like she doesn't want to let it go.

"You're really tight Shizu-chan." I tease her, leaning in and nibbling on her ear lobe, my hands drifting down to her butt.

"That's…" She moans as I tease her ear.

Taking a firm hold of her butt, I push her down, her pussy taking my cock up to the hilt.

"So…deep…"

Standing in the middle of the bathroom door holding Shizuku's butt in place I start thrusting my hips, her pussy sloshing with each thrust, her moans getting more and more intense with each movement.

"So hot…so hard…so deep in my cunt…"

"You like my cock Shizu-chan?" I ask teasingly.

"Yesh! I luv it! It feels soh good!"

"You're really feeling it Shizuku, you're so tight it's almost like you want me to come inside you."

"Do it! Cum a lot! Fill me up!"

"You sure?" I ask, the end fast approaching. "You sure you want it inside?"

"Yes, cum inside me! I want to feel your warm cum in me, please!"

"Here you go Shizuku, just like you asked…" I moan as I feel myself climax, cumming inside Shizuku as hard as I can.

"Cumming!" Shizuku moans aloud, her leg wrapping around my waist, her pussy all the way down on my cock to the hilt.

For a few moments the two of us just stand there, the both of us shivering with pleasure.

"That was great Shizuku." I whisper to her, and she shudders in pleasure.

"You're still so hard, it's so warm inside me…"

"Wanna go again?"

"Mm-hmm…" She moans, kissing me again.


	11. Chapter 11

**The long awaited Chapter 11 of this story is finally out! I know this will probably garner ZERO reaction from anyone, since this category has all of five people who still care, but here's Chapter 11. I'm going to try and work on the next one and get it out. I know that I've been neglecting this story, and I can only say that my other projects have been taking up my time and my muse, but I was recently struck with an idea for this, and it got the juices flowing again. Enjoy.**

Chapter 11

Standing in front of the mirror a resigned sigh escapes my lips. Looking myself up and down in the reflection I can't help but admit to myself that I actually _like _what I see there…

_If not for the fact that I'm looking at a female version of ME with huge breasts…_

I'm dressed in the skimpy blue dress that my class bought for me for the Turnabout Dance. Looking at myself again I can't bring myself to smile in spite of everything. I can't help but feel like I'm going to be stuck in this form that I'll be unable to change back into a man again…

_Don't think like that, if you think like that then you're going to end up stuck that way, and is that what you really want?_

"Sakura is going to go gaga when she sees you." Shizuku speaks up from behind me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Glancing back over my left shoulder I take in the bedroom I share with Shizuku in her home. Like me Shizuku is dressed in her own evening gown that she's going to be wearing to the Turnabout Dance, which begins in just over an hour. Like my dress Shizuku's dress accents her natural curves, the dark blue gown matching her hair color, the silver of her Kampfer form giving her hair contrast to the gown, a blue and purple handbag sitting on the bed next to her.

Sighing again I turn back toward the mirror, the thought that Sakura is going to be all over me like this is not a welcome one. Turning away from the mirror I turn my attention to Shizuku, the Student Council President standing with her arms crossed beneath her bosom, an amused grin on her features.

"You know; if I could attend this dance as a man I would…" I needlessly remind her.

"I know." Shizuku says with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Unfortunately your female class is absolutely adamant that you show and your female self has such a fan club among both the boys and girls that if you didn't attend as a girl there would possibly be a riot."

Sighing I can't help but shake my head. Stepping forward my left knee pitches outward, my arms lancing out as I windmill my arms to try and keep my balance.

_Damn heels..._

The thought is the last thing I think before I pitch forward, my face heading for the carpeted floor for an impromptu meeting when strong hands grab me, hooking under my arms and supporting me, catching me when I would've gone face first into the floor.

Feeling something soft against the top of my head I look up past Shizuku's breasts to see she is right there, concern etched across her features in spite of the fact that I'm in my female form and my head is very nearly buried in her breasts.

"Thank you." I offer earnestly, forcing myself to smile in spite of how clumsy I feel.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to walk in those?" Shizuku asks; alluding to the six inch high heel shoes I'm wearing.

Being a man, I've never worn the things for anything, and up until now I've maybe spent three hours all told practicing walking around in these exact shoes.

_Needless to say, I'm still not up to snuff…_

"I should be all right." I try to assuage her concerns. "I should be able to slow dance, so as long as nobody tries to make me dance to anything fast I should be all right…"

"If you're sure…" Shizuku says, helping me back to my feet.

Lowering her arms Shizuku steps back, putting a small amount of distance between us.

"Shall we go?" I ask, motioning toward the door, my nervousness clear as day in my voice.

Nodding Shizuku's voice is thick with resignation.

"May as well get this over with…" She answers, and I can't help the pit of dread that forms in my stomach.

_Please let this go without a hitch, and when it's all over let me turn back into a man at the end of the night…_

**XXX**

Rather than take a bus to the Turnabout Dance, Shizuku and I do what we always do, walk. For me that amounts to twenty minutes of torture with my feet in shoes designed to make my butt look good rather than be functional, unlike any other pair of shoes I've ever worn.

Walking out the front door of her home Shizuku closes the door behind us, my gaze staying with her as the dark haired red Kampfer closes the door behind her. Locking the door behind her Shizuku makes sure the house is locked before she turns around, and I do the same, nearly jumping in surprise at what I see.

_Why didn't I see this coming…?_

Mikoto and Kaede stand on the sidewalk in front of Shizuku's home. Both of them are still in their Kampfer form, like Shizuku they're both stuck in their transformed state ever since the White Kampfers ambushed them. Mikoto wears a red dress with a high slit on her left leg and a low cut wearing her hair down. Mikoto chose a more conservative blue dress that is very reserved but yet still shows her feminine curves.

Akane has her arms crossed over her chest, a death glare in her eyes at the sight of me in what is obviously an intentionally skimpy dress. Mikoto just taps her foot impatiently, the two of them both carry handbags, though Mikoto holds hers with both hands while Akane holds hers with just her right hand.

Together Shizuku and I approach the two of them, Shizuku taking the initiative and speaking first, addressing both of them as our de-facto commander and strategist.

"Remember why the both of you are attending the dance this evening." Shizuku reminds them. "I managed to get both of you passes in your Kampfer forms so you can attend the dance and fight if Kaede tries something."

"I know I know." Akane mutters, Mikoto sighing tiredly.

"I got it." She says, her eyes drifting to me, slowly panning up and down my body. "Damn Natsuru…if I didn't know better I'd swear you were sprayed into that thing…"

I can feel my cheeks flush in embarrassment. The so called 'dress' I'm wearing is revealing, and it's taking all my nerve to just show up at the dance in it. In truth I don't want to go at all, but like Shizuku said, there will probably be a riot if I don't attend.

"Shall we go?" Shizuku asks, taking their attention from me and thankfully redirecting the subject of conversation.

Both of them nodding one after another I mumble my agreement, the four of us starting down the street dressed in evening gowns.

_We must be quite a sight…_

**XXX**

Walking into the auditorium with Shizuku, Mikoto and Akane I can't believe how things have been decorated. A banner hangs just above the entrance, the words 'Sadie Hawkins Dance' painted there, streamers hanging seemingly everywhere. A giant mirror ball hangs in the middle of the large room, the lights in the room turned down low; the mirror ball shining columns of light around the room as dance music plays loudly, preventing any form of casual conversation. Along the left side of the room are the food and beverage tables, a cluster of students floating around there, helping themselves to some free food and drink…

Looking around the room a feeling of dread forms in my stomach. The majority of the attendees are girls, and they are here with _other girls_, a glaring reminder of the fact that Seitetsu Academy is often called 'Lesbo High' by students from other schools, thanks to the strict non interaction between the boys and girls sides of the school.

A shiver runs down my spine at the thought.

It doesn't help that as I enter the auditorium many heads turn to look, many of the _female_ eyes ogling me like I'm a piece of meat. Dressed as I am I can understand what few guys are in attendance looking at me, but for the other female students to be looking at me like that rather than as a tramp or a slut…

_It's disturbing…_

Looking around I try to search for any sign of the White Kampfers, that Sakura might be planning to ambush the four of us the moment we step into the auditorium. Instead…

"Natsuru-chan!" A familiar voice makes every hair on my neck stand on end.

I stop mid step, my head spinning toward the source of the voice, Sakura Kaede running toward me in an auburn colored dress that matches her hair with a low cut and a high slit on both sides of her legs.

Smiling she jumps toward me and hugs me, embracing me warmly and lovingly, as though the two of us were lovers who'd been separated for a long time.

"I've missed you so much!" She says, nuzzling her head against my breasts. "You haven't been at school!"

_Because I've been attending as a man, which you already know, because you're a moderator who knows the identities of each of the Kampfers…_

_ Though apparently you're playing 'little miss innocent' today…_

"Do…you think you could let me go Sakura-san?" I ask curiously, forcing myself to sound polite, in spite of the desire to simply push her away and tell her not to touch me pounding through me.

"Only if you promise to dance with me!" She says almost immediately, her head snapping up to look me in the eye.

_Oh no…no, no, no, no way…_

"I really don't think that's a good idea…" I begin, and Sakura squeezes tighter.

"PLEASE Natsuru-chan!" Sakura pleads with me. "Just one dance!"

Looking left and right I search for some assistance. Both Akane and Mikoto glare angrily at Sakura, Akane seemingly ready to grab Sakura by the shoulders and rip her off of me then and there. Shizuku on the other hand looks thoughtful, seeming to sense my desperation she leans in, speaking into my ear in what has to suffice as a whisper.

"Go dance with her. I'll be watching, so if she tries anything I'll step in." Shizuku assures me.

"But…" I try to argue, but Sakura squeezes just a little tighter, threatening to pop my breasts right out of my dress with the pressure.

"Please Natsuru-chan!" She says again, and I sigh, nodding in resignation.

"All right, just one dance." I tell her, and the smile that comes to Sakura's face is like she's just won the lottery and gotten a pony for her birthday all at once.

"Thank you so much!" She smiles, releasing her grip around me only to grab me by the wrist and practically drag me toward the dance floor.

_If she heard my tone of voice, she certainly isn't acknowledging it…_

Pulling me out onto the dance floor Sakura somehow manages to part the crowd like the sea itself is parting before her. Leading me to the center of the dance floor I can only hope that Shizuku, Mikoto and Akane are watching me as Sakura takes my hands in hers and begins to dance to the slow song playing over the speaker system.

"Why are you doing this Sakura-san?" I ask as we begin to dance. "Why are you acting like you're all innocent when I know it's nothing more than a façade?"

Looking at me Sakura tilts her head to one side curiously, her eyes showing only confusion.

"What are you talking about Natsuru-chan?" Sakura asks with a slight tremble to her voice. "I haven't done anything to you…"

Sighing exasperatedly I close my eyes tiredly, not knowing what else to do.

"I forgot split personalities or some nonsense…" I trail, opening my eyes again, only this time Sakura's face isn't innocent and even hurt, her lips are curled in a smile, the look in her eyes one of cold confidence.

_She must've…_

"You look really beautiful in that dress Natsuru." Sakura says my name like we're old friends. "It's such a shame I can't keep your beauty all for myself…"

_THAT_ remark makes the hairs on my neck stand on end.

"Why are you making us fight this pointless proxy war?" I demand from the Moderator version of Sakura. "Why are you so interested in me?"

Now it's Sakura's turn to sigh, the auburn haired woman slowly shaking her head in frustration.

"If only you'd remember…" She trails, and my jaw nearly hits the floor, taking all my willpower to fight the urge to scream.

"Remember what? Why do you keep talking like we're old friends? Tell me!"

A slight smile comes to her face, her gaze rising to meet mine.

"Why don't I show you instead?" She asks, the hairs standing on end once again, every logical part of my brain telling me to get AWAY from Sakura immediately and as quickly as possible.

"No! I won't!" I begin, about to keep screaming when something happens, something I can't explain.

The world begins to spin, LITERALLY. The auditorium around me begins to spin, somehow Sakura seems to slip through my fingers, the girl joining the background as the colors begin to mesh together, the speed of the world picking up with each passing second until it's nothing but a swirl of colors and sounds assaulting my senses, sending my brain into sense overload.

Closing my eyes my body pitches forward, my only thought as I slip into unconsciousness being:

_I hope she didn't hypnotize me again…_

**XXX**

"Darling…" A faint voice calls out to me. "Darling…." The voice calls again.

I'm surrounded by darkness, and I feel something gently touch my shoulder and touch me, the feel of soft fingers against my shoulder gently shaking me, the voice calling out again, louder this time.

"Darling, wake up!" The voice is much louder, and I open my eyes with a start, looking around to see an unfamiliar room, feeling an incredibly soft mattress and bed sheets around me.

Worst of all Sakura sits practically right next to me, naked as the day she was born.

"Gah!" I call out in surprise, rolling AWAY from Sakura, out of the blankets and onto the carpeted floor.

Landing with a thud I scramble to get away from her, pushing myself to my feet before I stop mid step.

It's then that several realizations hit me all at once. The first thing I realize is that I'm in my female form. The second thing I realize is that I too am naked. The third thing is that this room is unlike any bedroom I've ever seen before, the walls literally changing, the walls gentle swirls of orange, red, green, blue, I can't even begin to pin any set of colors down before they shift and change, the shifting colors giving off a very relaxing atmosphere, in spite of the oddity of it all…

_What in the world…?_

"Darling?" Sakura calls from behind me, her voice carrying just the barest twinge of concern.

Holding my hand up I look at my right hand, searching for my Kampfer bracelet…

_It isn't there…_

Flattening my palm toward the ceiling I try to use my zauber as I have time and time again, but nothing happens, not even a spark flickers in my hand.

"Darling…?" Sakura calls again, and I _slowly_ turn around, Sakura is off the bed, standing there naked with her left arm raised up to her chin, her fingers draped over her chin in worry, her right hand slowly opening and closing.

"Um…" I mutter, not sure what to say in this situation.

_There are so many questions, where am I, what's going on? Why is this happening? I don't even know if she has all the answers either…_

"Are you all right darling?" Sakura asks walking up to me she slowly reaches up with her right hand, placing it gently against my cheek.

"I, uh…" I mutter, my mind still churning, trying to come up with something, _anything…_

"Are you worried about going shopping with me today?" She asks curiously. "I think it's going to be all right, even if you do get recognized I don't think people are going to give you that much trouble."

_Recognized? Why would people care about me? Who the hell am I?_

"I…I suppose…" I answer, still not sure what to say or do.

_I'll just ride this out; see what I can figure out on my own. Maybe this is some sort of weird dream? It doesn't feel like it did when she hypnotized me before, so it probably isn't that…_

"Then we should get dressed then." Sakura smiles at me, lowering her hand, turning toward a section of wall that continues to swirl and change color.

Approaching it the wall seems to split in two, the walls sliding apart to reveal a black section of wall with what looks like two palm readers set at shoulder height.

Watching her Sakura approaches one of the palm readers and places her hand on it. The reader lights up dimly, a strange, clear thick liquid secreting from the reader and literally flowing over Sakura's hand and down her arm. As I watch the semi thick…whatever it is covers her entire body from the neck down. A moment later the liquid changes color, shifting into a strange pattern and changing shape, taking the form of a blue sundress like garment with matching heeled shoes.

Looking down at herself now apparently dressed Sakura smiles before turning toward me, slowly rotating around to allow me to see the entirety of the outfit.

"Well, how do I look?" Sakura asks me, the sound of her voice quite literally snapping me out of my delirium.

_What the in the hell was that? That…goop literally turned into her clothes! What in the world is going on! What kind of freaky drug induced hallucination is this!_

"Darling?" Sakura asks; facing me she slowly steps forward, again confusion rests on her features, as though what just happened is absolutely normal and in no way strange or downright freaky at all. "Aren't you going to get dressed?"

Blinking I push my surprise and fear aside, stuffing it away into a corner of my mind, ignoring it for the moment.

_There will be time to be freaked out later…_ I tell myself, trying desperately to make myself believe it as I nod toward Sakura.

Approaching the other palm reader I have nothing else to go on other than 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,' so that's exactly what I do. Reaching out with my right hand I place it against the reader, closing my eyes I suppress the desire to shiver as I feel a thick, slime like substance creep over my fingers and down my arm, the stuff literally flowing over my shoulder and down my body, covering me from the neck down exactly like it did Sakura. For a moment I can feel the strange liquid literally undulating against my body as it flows beneath my feet, forming my footwear as well. A moment later the undulating feeling ends and I feel like I'm wearing something. Opening my eyes I look down to see that I'm dressed in crisp black clothing, knee high militaristic boots on my feet, black pants covering my legs, a long sleeve form fitting black blouse on my upper body, strange gold buttons near my neck line on each of the square padded shoulders, an emblem of two crossed golden scimitars below the buttons midway between the buttons and the end of my shoulders.

_What is this?_

"You're wearing your uniform?" Sakura asks, and I nearly jump through the roof at the word 'uniform.'

_Uniform? Why the hell am I wearing a uniform?_

Turning around I take in the slight frown on her face, the expression one of mild disappointment.

"Stick with what works." I offer with a shrug, and Sakura mirrors the motion a moment later, the frown disappearing from her features.

"It _does_ look good on you." She says matter of factly, again a shiver running down my back at the insinuation.

"We…we should get going." I try to change the subject. "We've got shopping to do, right?" I ask, trying to change the subject away from how I look in the creepy, ooze/clothing thing on my skin.

Nodding Sakura smiles, approaching me she reaches out and takes my hand, smiling at the intimate contact.

"Let's go." She offers happily, and I don't know what else to do other than strap in and hang on for the ride.

Nodding Sakura leads me forward toward another section of wall that continues to change and shift. As we approach the section of wall splits down the middle, parting to reveal a normal hallway with white floors and ceiling, the opposite side of the wall one large window, giving me a panoramic view of the surroundings.

What I see makes me stop and stare. A city unlike anything I've ever seen before stretches before me. It's like something out of a science fiction novel. Strange vehicles literally fly through the air with no discernable engine or even wings. The buildings themselves are all unlike anything I've ever seen. The city looks more like a collection of large seashells, as though the entire city were planned out to remind anyone looking at it to remember that life evolved from the ocean.

For a moment it's all I can do to just stare, until I feel a tug at my right arm, and I blink, suddenly remembering where I am and what's happening. Looking down at my hand my eyes follow Sakura's arm up to her face, again the auburn haired woman looking at me curiously.

"Are you sure you're all right Darling?" Sakura asks, and I quickly nod.

"I'm fine." I offer, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment.

For a moment Sakura just stares at me, and I wonder whether or not she's going to push the subject. The moment passes and then she shrugs, apparently allowing the subject to drop.

"Let's go then." She says, starting down the hall, toward a turn in the hall.

Following her the floor is sparkling white, not a speck of dirt or grime, the white material almost shining as though it's been recently polished.

Turning the corner I notice that the window ends at the corner, the wall at the corner the same polished, flawless white color as the rest of the hall. Approaching a section of wall with a recessed square above it Sakura looks up, speaking loud and clearly.

"Lobby please." She says, and I open my mouth to ask who or what she's talking to when the wall in front of us splits down the middle, revealing what looks like an elevator shaft.

The shaft is twelve feet wide if it's an inch, and at least three or four stories deep. The air inside seems to shimmer, and Sakura steps forward without fear or worry, as though the thought of plummeting five or six stories to her very painful death never even crossed her mind.

I can't step forward, and Sakura is halfway into the shaft before her arm tugs on mine, and she stops, looking over her right shoulder at me, her expression confused and curious, her eyes seeking out mine, her voice laced with concern.

"Are you sure you're all right Darling?" Sakura asks, once again not referring to me by name. "You've been acting strangely ever since you woke up this morning…"

Swallowing the saliva in my mouth I offer a silent prayer to whatever deity may hear it.

_If I die, I am truly sorry for all the horrible and morally reprehensible things I've done in my life…_

"Of-of course…" I stutter, stepping forward.

It takes all my willpower to step into that shaft. As I do I feel my foot somehow suspended in the air, as though something were altering the gravity inside the shaft. Sakura stepping inside with me the two of us literally float there in the shaft, suspended with no discernable means of levitation.

_What in the world is this?_

Out of nowhere we begin to slowly descend, and if not for my empty bladder I would've wet myself then and there. Slowly dropping down that black shaft I can't help but think that at any second both Sakura and I are going to begin picking up speed and plummet to our very painful deaths.

Instead the two of us stop near the bottom of the shaft, looking down there are still two or three floors below us, and I open my mouth to ask what is going on when the wall in front of us splits, Sakura coiling her legs as though she's swimming through the air and pushing off the back wall, gently flowing forward toward the front of the shaft, gracefully leaving the shaft as though it were no mere feat.

Standing outside the shaft Sakura stops and turns, facing me she smiles playfully at me, blissfully ignorant of just how overwhelmed I feel.

"Well, aren't you coming?" Sakura asks her tone relaxed and cheerful.

Swallowing again I once again do as Sakura did, coiling my legs and using them to push off the wall behind me gently. The momentum gently pushes me forward, and I barely manage to get my feet under me as I leave the shaft, somehow managing to gracefully leave the shaft and land on my feet.

The second my feet hit solid ground and I'm not suspended in mid air I want to drop to my hands and knees and kiss the solid ground beneath me.

_Is _that_ what suffices for an elevator in this place, wherever I am?_

Not content to give me a moment to catch my breath Sakura reaches out, gently taking my hand in hers.

"Let's go, no time like the present, right?"


End file.
